In My Veins
by Sciencegeek926
Summary: What happens when Sly, Happy, and Toby decide to give Walter and Paige a push in the right direction by setting them up on a romantic campout? Lots of Waige, some Quintis.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fanfic and first story published on the internet, though I have written other stuff, most of which has so far remained for my eyes only. Lots of Waige, some Quintis. This will be multi-chapter. Though I only have 1-2 more chapters of storyline planned out, I will continue on this story as long as people want me to and as long as I can come up with quality plot. So... Enjoy!**

Paige had planned the perfect campout on the rooftop. She thought the team could use a night for fun. She had set up tents, a campfire, s'mores, drinks, and music. She announced her plans that afternoon. She left to pick up Ralf from school and leave him with a sitter, and Walter had gone upstairs to his room.

Toby excitedly called to the others, "I've got the best plan, way better than Paige's."

Happy just rolled her eyes, "Do you need to prove yourself superior in everything?"

"Yes. But that's not what I meant."

Happy raised her eyebrow skeptically, "Whatever, Doc."

Toby waved her off and continued, "Alright, I'll be the first to mention the elephant in the room: we're all rooting for Paige and Walter, right?"

The others looked at each other and hesitated before nodding.

"Good. So, what if we all bailed out of this campfire thing last minute?"

Happy smirked, "Are you suggesting we set them up?"

"Yep, pretty much ya."

Sly cut in, "I don't know, I don't feel comfortable interfering."

Toby turned to him, "At this rate, we'll be old and gray by the time they get together. They just need a little... push in the right direction."

Sly was tempted, but still on the fence, "I don't know..."

Happy shrugged, "I'm in."

Toby glanced at her, wondering if he could convince her into their own... Outing. He turned back to Sly and said in a singsong voice, "C'mon, you don't wanna ruin a romantic campout for our friends, do you?"

Sly hesitated before sighing, "Okay."

Toby replied, "That's the spirit! Now, let's work on our alibis. I say that me and Happy go to a reopening of a restaurant, and-"

Happy cocked an eyebrow and interrupted him, "This is hypothetical, right?"

Toby shrugged, "Well it was supposed to be, but now that you mention it, I do know of a reopening of Zebra Cafe, and our alibi would be airtight if it weren't a lie."

Happy just sighed, shook her head, and went back to her pet project, "You're an idiot."

Toby smirked, knowing that was her way of accepting his offer, "I know."

Sly asked, "What about me?"

Toby turned back to him and shrugged, "Say whatever you want."

After a lull in the conversation, Sly spoke up again, becoming excited about the prospect of setting up their friends, and exclaimed, "We can call it Operation Waige." Happy and Toby looked at him question ioningly. He explained, "You know, Walter and Paige, Waige."

Happy replied with a nod of approval, "That works."

"Operation Waige," Toby said, "I like the sound of that.

Paige was on the rooftop, doing some last minute preparations. She looked at her watch: the team should be showing up soon. Her phone buzzed; it was Sly. 'There's a surprise signing of Super Fun Guy comics in the area. Sorry I can't make it, the four of you have fun!' Just as she finished reading the text, she heard someone coming through the door. She looked up and smiled at Walter. "Hey!"

Walter nodded at her, "Hey."

"Sly's not coming, I guess he has a comic book thing, so it'll just be the four of us," she informed him.

"Uh, actually make that just the two of us. Happy and Toby just told me they're going to the reopening of some restaurant. They seemed pretty excited about it."

"Oh. Okay," Paige replied, slightly disappointed.

Walter picked up on it and suggested, "Look, if you wanna reschedule this thing for when everyone is available..."

Paige shook her head, "No, no it's fine, we can still have fun." She grabbed a bottle of wine and two glasses, and began to pour when Walter said, "Oh, no thanks."

Paige turned to him, "I know you don't normally drink, but this night is about taking a break. It'll help you relax."

He looked at her about to insist on not drinking, but somehow couldn't resist surrendering to her hopeful stare, and nodded.

"Good," she said. He sat down by the fire Paige had lit while she poured the wine. He felt suspicious that his friends all had spontaneous plans on the same night, but he decided to brush it off as his overactive brain trying to find patterns where there were none. There was no reason for them to lie about their plans. Paige interrupted his thoughts, handing him a glass. They sat in comfortable silence for a while, sipping wine. Looking into the stars, he asked quietly, "Do you ever think about what it would be like to travel into space? To feel weightless, to have no sense of up or down, to see the earth as one unit. No boundaries, no enemies, just... Humanity."

Paige stared at him, mildly surprised at the emotion he was so openly displaying. She knew it must be the alcohol, but she didn't really care. "Ya, it seems pretty easy to get lost in our own quarrels down here. We tend to forget we still share the same tiny planet."

Walter nodded, murmuring in agreement. After a moment, Walter said, "Megan liked the stars."

Paige snapped her gaze to him. He rarely spoke about his sister since she passed. Aside from that therapeutic night of storytelling and his breakdown over almost losing the ferret, he still shut out every conversation about Megan. She knew he was hurting, and she wanted to help. But she also knew Walter, and he would never open up before he's ready. She knew she could do nothing but be a friend and let him grieve on his own terms.

Now, he was voluntarily reminiscing. She thought at first it was the alcohol talking as well, but while it probably helped, he had only had one glass. That's not enough alone to get him to talk about Megan.

"She gave me her book of constellations to memorize when I was three," he smiled, but it faded as he continued, "When she was sick she said she was sad she would never see the stars again." His face contorted into a look of grief. She knew he was trying to hide what he felt, but his eyes said it all.

She reached down to take his hand in hers. As she did tension released from his shoulders and face. He seemed to simultaneously calm down and allow his exterior to crumble. Tears formed in his eyes, and suddenly she didn't care about professional boundaries. She threw her arms around him, holding him close. She felt his silent sobs shake her, and she began to cry herself. She eventually felt him lift his hands onto the small of her back and bring her closer to him.

After the crying subsided, he pulled back slightly, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Sorry, I... I don't know what came over me." She gave him a hand squeeze and an encouraging smile. He tried to return it, but the gesture didn't reach his eyes. She wanted to cheer him up, but didn't know what she could do.

The music playing in the background began Don't Go Breaking My Heart. Remembering their performance to distract a dictator, and how Walter seemed to actually have fun with it once he relaxed, she smiled as she took his hand and stood. "What?" He asked as she pulled him to his feet and led him to the speakers and turned it up. She turned back to him with a mischievous look. He knew what she was doing now, and began shaking his head, "No, no I don't dance, remember?"

She rolled her eyes and told him, "Oh, come on. Live a little!" Before he could respond she swung him into an open area and began to dance with his hands in hers.

He laughed and shook his head, "I can't believe I let you rope me into stuff like this."

"Shut up and dance!"

He laughed again and complied. She was right, once he relaxed he was having fun. They danced and sang in perfect harmony throughout the song until it was over. He gave her a small, appreciative smile. He could guess her intention with that dance, and though he was reluctant to admit it, it worked. She always seemed to know what he needed, and that was one of the many reasons he l-. He stopped his thoughts abruptly, chastising himself for allowing himself to go there.

Instead he just conveyed his silent thanks with a nod, and began to turn back to the fire. But she wasn't ready to stop, especially when she heard the next song, one of her favorites. She kept a firm hold on his hand as he tried to walk away, and he turned around questioningly. She smiled as she tugged him toward her, holding their arms to the side. At the same time she placed her left hand on his shoulder. "What-" He tried to ask, but his breath hitched.

She had to take a steadying breath herself, beginning to wonder if this was such a good idea. "I like this song." She answered his unfinished question as innocently as she could. He stared at her for a second, then looked away, visibly swallowed, placed his hand on her waist, and began to sway with her. She felt gravitated toward him, and despite her efforts to keep a distance which could be interpreted as friendly, she found herself inching closer. By the time the second chorus rang out, _oh, you're in my veins, and I cannot get you out,_ she realized her ear was brushing his chest. She didn't know how long they had been this close, but she relaxed her neck and rested her head on him.

 _Oh, you're all I taste, at night inside of my mouth._

She felt his hand slide from her waist to hug the small of her back. She moved her hand from his shoulder to wrap it around the back of his neck.

 _Oh, you run away, 'cause I am not what you found._

She closed her eyes, breathing in deep, savoring his familiar and all too comforting scent. He touched his jaw to the top of her head, inhaling the sweet aroma of her peach shampoo.

 _Oh, you're in my veins, and I cannot get you out._

She let the tension dissolve from herself, and became lost in the strum of the music, and the swaying of their dance, and Walter's heartbeat under her ear, and his hand pressing her stomach to him. When the song ended, they barely registered the silence.

When Walter froze and tensed, she came to her senses; she realized they were just standing in an embrace. She took in a sharp breath, and took a small quick step back as if she had been stung. She looked at Walter, and he looked as confused and uncomfortable as she felt. She realized she was holding her breath, and let it out.

Paige had to say something to smooth out this situation; she knew Walter couldn't do it himself. She gave him a weak smile, and gave a single nod, "T-Thanks for the dance," she stuttered, wondering when she became as flustered at physical contact as Walter. She was supposed to be the composed one in that area, but now she struggled to keep her hands from shaking and her breathing under control. Walter took his cue from her and returned the smile and nod. She cleared her throat, "The fire... It's in coals now, uh, you want s'mores?" Walter, still uneasy and sensing she was too, gave another awkward nod.

They sat on the ground covered in blankets and roasted marshmallows in silence, each leaving a lot unsaid.

After Walter had finished his first s'more, he stood up and announced, "Uhm, it's getting late, I think I'll-" he stopped as he pointed at the door.

Paige was shaking her head, "Only one s'more? C'mon! Besides, it's really nice out here, we should sleep under the stars."

He looked at her, sighing. While the marshmallow-roasting had given Paige time to calm herself, he was feeling increasingly awkward as the night went on, disoriented by their dance. All he wanted was to run out of there. But looking down at her pleading eyes and wide smile, he nodded and stepped toward her before he even made the decision consciously. That scared him a bit; he always considered all options and their consequences, and chose the most logical one. But with Paige, it was as if his logic was muffled by something else, something he couldn't think through and make logical sense of. He knew what that something was, but he didn't want to admit it. He pushed away the tiny voice in his head speaking the truth, and sat back down next to Paige.

"More wine?" She asked. He nodded, hoping it would squelch his discomfort around her. He ate one more s'more, then laid down next to Paige, their arms inches apart, and looked up at the stars.

Remembering their earlier conversation, he sighed, glad of Paige's presence. "You know I don't believe in that stuff, but uh, if there's an afterlife, I hope Megan is up there."

She turned her head to study his face as he studied the stars. She wondered what had gotten into him - this was the second time he willfully divulged information about his sister in one night. She looked back at the sky as she placed her hand over his, "She's already there, Walter," reminding him of her ashes sent up to space by his rocket. He closed his fingers around hers, and she softly stroked the back of his hand with her thumb.

She closed her eyes, falling asleep, while he remained awake staring at the sky. After a few moments, she felt his fingers shift, and realized he was interlacing his fingers with hers. Her eyes fluttered open, and her heart thumped in her ears. She was shocked Walter would initiate something like that. She tentatively glanced at him, and saw he was still staring at the sky. When he sensed her looking at him, he turned his head and smiled at her.

Their faces were just inches apart now, and she found her eyes roaming his face. His eyes widened and his mouth parted as he realized what thoughts were going through her head. He felt terrified, wanting to run away as fast as he could, but he couldn't help the thoughts from entering his mind as well, and he couldn't help admitting how enticing they were.

After a few moments, Paige tore her gaze from him, cleared her throat, and took a deep breath. She tried to settle her mind and steady her heartbeat. They had agreed to remain friends, and she was trying to stick to that, more for his sake than hers.

Walter felt both relieved and disappointed when she turned her face away from his. He sighed and closed his eyes, falling asleep.

She remained awake for a while longer, acutely aware of how close they'd just come to crossing the line from friendship to more. But she already knew they were more than friends; she cared about him more than anyone, and she knew he felt the same about her. She closed her eyes to sleep, fingers still interlaced with Walter's.

 **I would love feedback, criticisms and all… So please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for all the reviews! And for the reviewer who asked about In My Veins, I did download the song because of Castle! I was listening to slow songs on my phone trying to find one for the scene in the last chapter, and thought In My Veins sounded perfect for Waige. If anyone wants an amazing song, go listen to it!**

 **Without further ado, I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

Paige woke up to the crisp, chilly air, but she was cozy warm. She realized a hand was placed on her stomach and felt her legs entwined with another's. She remembered the events of last night and knew it was Walter. She could feel his breath on her neck, making her shiver. She knew she should move away, but his warmth was so inviting, and her conscious mind wasn't yet fully awake. Her eyes fluttered closed again, and she allowed her hand to roam of its own accord down his arm to rest on his hand.

His fingers shifted, lifting to brush against hers. He was just beginning to stir, and as he opened his eyes, he saw his lips were almost brushing her neck. His breath hitched, knowing this was way outside the bounds of friendship.

She felt the absence of his breath and waited for his reaction, waited for him to pull away. But he didn't move, just continued to subconsciously brush his fingers along hers. He couldn't help but stare at her neck and jawline.

She sensed his eyes on her and turned her head, not expecting his lips to be less than an inch from hers. Her heart pounded and her lips tingled in anticipation as she struggled to control herself. Before she realized what was happening, they were locked in a bruising kiss. She couldn't say who initiated it, but she didn't care.

Their tongues fought for dominance as she rolled over onto him. She moved a hand from his chest to the back of his head, grabbing a handful of his dark hair. He sighed into her mouth, then lifted her and flipped them over, holding her above the ground and against him with one hand on her back, and lowering the other to her butt. She inhaled at this and let out a soft moan. She wrapped her legs around his waist.

They continued this heated kiss for an indeterminable amount of time, until he broke away to place kisses along her jawline and down her neck. She bent her head to allow him more access, resting her head on his shoulder. When he started sucking below her ear, she hummed breathlessly, "Hmm, Walter..."

At the sound of her voice, his head shot up to look at her. As he did so, all his thoughts and fears and inhibitions which had evaporated in their kiss came rushing back to him. He became all too aware of where his left hand rested and how tightly their bodies were pressed together. He snapped his hand up to her back and lifted himself an inch above her. But his longing for her kept him from leaping away all together.

She studied him curiously, wondering why he stopped. She thought she saw confusion and uncertainty in his brown eyes. She brought her hand up to brush his cheek, waiting for him to speak.

"I d-don't know..." He licked his lips and blinked quickly trying to sort out his emotions, broke eye contact, and stared at the ground above her shoulder. "Uh, I-I'm sorry-" He broke off when he saw her shaking her head.

"No, Walter, I'm sorry," she whispered as she wriggled out from under him. He realized she misconstrued his sorry as a way of rejecting her. He fervently shook his head, "Paige-"

She cut him off, "No, it's okay, really." But it was an obvious lie to both of them, her voice an octave higher than usual and her eyes avoiding his. She tried to convince herself that he was just not ready for a relationship, that he has already made so much progress and will come around eventually. But a tiny voice of doubt kept reminding her that he was dating other women. He was actively seeking romantic relationships... Just not with her.

A wave of rejection and loneliness overtook her, and she turned away from him and squeezed her eyes shut as she waited for it to subside. When she finally got control back of her facial expressions, she plastered on a wide smile and turned back to him. She didn't want him to feel guilty. "Walter, it's okay. You don't need to be sorry," she forced out the words as she grabbed her pursed to leave.

Walter almost shouted, "Paige, wait." She stopped on her way to the door, hearing the desperation in his voice. She turned around, and, seeing the inner conflict in his eyes, immediately regretted walking away. She didn't want to leave him alone when she could see he was struggling.

He took three large, swift steps toward her, then abruptly stopped two feet from her. Hope contradicted her doubt, insisting she remember their experiment, the intimacy the night before, and the passionate kiss they had just shared. She couldn't be imagining it. He _had_ to feel something for her, right?

"Paige, I... I do want, uh, this - us. I'm just... I'm confused," as he went on, his words tumbled out faster, "I've been told not to let the distance get so far that I can't recouple the train, but also that I need to make sure I can make a real connection so I don't repeat mistakes. But I just... How do I know when I'm ready, and w-what if it takes so long that the distance becomes too far, and how far is too far, a-and what if-" He swallowed, self-conscious that he had just spilled all that to Paige.

But Paige only smiled, feeling uncharacteristically giddy, and took a step toward him. She grabbed his hand, took a breath, and said, "Walter, I don't think anyone really knows for sure if they're ready," he opened his mouth to protest, but she continued, "I know what you're feeling right now is confusing and illogical, but it's normal. You wanted normal didn't you?" She added with a giggle. He wouldn't make eye contact with her, so she turned his chin with her hand so he faced her. Looking into his eyes, she said, "You're trying understand this like a scientific formula, as if there is some universal definition of 'ready,' as if there is a defined maximum time which still offers the opportunity. But emotions don't work like that. And Walter, I think you know it, and I think it frightens you." After a moment of thought, she suggested, "How about this: we don't put a label on our relationship. We just do what feels right. And if it gets too much for either of us-" she broke off when he stepped closer, put his hands around her, and pulled her in close.

He was enamored at how understanding and patient she was with him. And he loved how she said 'us' instead of 'you.' He knew if anyone were to feel as if it were too much it would be him, but she made it seem as if it were both of them, struggling together. He then leaned down and placed a hesitant, slightly awkward but soft kiss on her lips. She smiled into him as she kissed him back. When they broke away, they smiled at each other, and he said, "I think your suggestion is the most efficient way to navigate our relationship." This made her giggle, and they began cleaning up, each feeling more at ease with the other than they had in months.

Later that morning, Sly, Happy, and Toby were already at the garage when Walter and Paige arrived. They were laughing about something, and Toby picked up on their slightly closer proximity. Turning to them, he exclaimed, "Hey guys, how was the campout?"

They broke off their conversation, not realizing the team was here already. Paige glanced at Walter, knowing how uncomfortable he would feel if she discussed any details at all. Even discounting that morning, the entire event had been quite intimate. So she stated vaguely, "Oh, it was fine," adding a shrug and a smile.

But Toby wouldn't have it. "Just fine? That's all I get?"

Walter looked cautiously at the three. He didn't like the way Toby seemed to be digging.

Paige replied with a shrug, "Not much else to tell, Toby. It was a campout. We camped out."

Toby noticed her defensive tone, the way she shifted her body protectively away from him, and her strangely deep concentration in straightening her already immaculate desk. "Uh huh," Toby said sarcastically.

As Paige sat down at her desk, she began to feel uneasy. She knew she must be giving off subconscious signs left and right that she was lying. It was only a matter of time before the genius behaviorist figured out the truth. She only hoped Walter would feel comfortable enough with what happened to be able to handle that; Even though they had definitely just become more than friends, she knew he wouldn't change overnight. She knew he would still have trouble processing physical and emotional intimacy for a long time yet.

Toby decided to try Walter, but used a different approach, "So, you still on for your date tonight? What's her name, Samantha?"

Paige kept her head down pretending to be doing paperwork to try to hide the fact she was intently waiting on Walter's answer, unsure what he would say.

Walter responded, "Actually, she prefers to go by Sam."

Seeing Paige tense slightly, he realized the correction was unnecessary and may indicate future conversations about Sam in which proper reference would be more valuable. He had thought of his dates as experiments, to test hypotheses about how to behave in a romantic relationship. But in light of this morning, he now had no need of that, and knew Paige was not happy with it. He had no intention of going on any dates except with Paige, so he quickly added, "But no, I think I'll cancel."

He briefly wondered when the idea of going on a proper date with Paige had formed in his mind before Toby asked, "Oh, why not? She seemed nice, and pretty. And let's face it, you're not exactly a lady's man. Not a whole lot of gems like her are gunna come around."

Toby was intentionally antagonizing Paige, and had trouble not laughing out loud at her terribly obvious subconscious markers of jealousy. Happy slapped his shoulder to shut him up.

Walter replied, more for Paige's benefit than Toby's, "It just doesn't... Feel right."

Despite her attempts to seem indifferent to the conversation, her eyes flew up to his at the reference to this morning. Their eyes locked and they stared at each other, silently communicating the exclusive nature their relationship just took on.

The other three stared at Walter as well, because they had never heard him cite feelings as a reason for anything.

Happy smirked and said, "Ok?"

Sly simply cocked his head and smiled, confused at his words but glad of this un-robotic development.

Toby looked at Sly and Happy as he walked away, smiling smugly, his eyes widened and eyebrows arched in an 'it totally worked,' expression, fully aware of where Walter's eyes had landed when he said 'feel right.'

Walter cleared his throat and sat down at his desk, now aware of how uncharacteristic that statement was of him. He changed the subject by asking, "So uh, how were your nights?"

"Good, mine was good," Sly replied a bit too quickly, still uncomfortable with lying.

Toby gave him a warning glance, silently telling him to shut up before he gave it away. He turned back to Walter, "It was just like I remembered before it closed. Although, the waitress was a little cold."

Happy glared at him. She knew he was joking, but wouldn't let him get away with it. "Perv," she muttered.

Toby took a step toward her and pointed, exclaiming, "I dissent that!"

She replied sarcastically, "I'm sure you do."

Paige, feeling more at ease now that the conversation had shifted, said, "Well, I'm glad you two had a nice time."

Toby muttered to Happy, too low for Walter or Paige to hear, "We weren't the only ones." Happy couldn't help but allow a smug grin to overtake her face.

 **Please review! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks again for all the reviews!**

"Dinner!" Toby came bursting through the doors, three bags hanging from his arms as everyone gathered around for the Chinese takeout. Toby sat at the head of the table, with Happy on his left and Sly on his right. Paige sat down next to Happy, with Walter across from her.

It had been a slow day; Cabe hadn't had any cases for them, so they enjoyed their day by working on their individual pet projects and having occasional, relaxed conversations. The team hadn't touched much more on Operation Waige, to Paige and Walter's relief. This was in part because the rest of the team sensed their reluctance to talk about it, and in part because they had guessed everything they needed to know from the first conversation.

But as Paige tucked one side of her hair behind her ear, Happy did a double take at her.

"Paige...?" She began in disbelief.

"Ya?" Paige responded with a polite smile, intent on opening her meal and unaware of the smile appearing on Happy's face.

"Is that... A hickey?" Happy barely restrained herself from laughing as she spoke the last word.

The color drained from Paige's face, the smile immediately disappeared, and her hands froze. Everyone stared at her, trying to get a look. Walter flushed, and his jaw clenched. The two realized that their... actions that morning must have left a hickey.

After recovering from the initial shock, Paige hastily untucked her hair so it was once again covering the hickey, and replied, her words tumbling out clumsily, "Uh, no, nope, of course not, why would it be a hickey? No, it's a bruise, I uh, hit my neck with a kitchen cabinet, don't ask me how I managed to do it, it's... silly, really..." She trailed off, knowing no one was buying it. She pressed her lips together, her cheeks now fully red, and kept her eyes on her food as she quickly took a bite.

Sly burst out laughing, "Oh, you two are adorable."

"So, how far did ya go?" Toby teased.

"Sorry?" She replied as one last ditch effort to steer her friends away from this topic. She glanced at Walter to see his reaction, but he had his head down staring at his food.

"He wants to know if someone got laid," Happy clarified unnecessarily.

At this, Walter nearly choked on his food. Glancing at him to make sure he could breathe, Paige looked at the other three and said, "Not that it's any of your business, but no, we did not."

Toby stared at her, "Oh God, she's telling the truth! He gave you a hickey but... Nothing else?"

"Toby!" She exclaimed at his innuendo, "What did I say about who's business it is?"

Toby threw up his hands in mock defense. Paige tried to catch Walter's eye to see if he was okay, but he was still staring at his food. She tentatively touched his foot with hers under the table, but to her dismay, he pulled back and cleared his throat, never glancing up once. She fought her instinctual reaction, panic. She knew he would just need some time. This was Walter, and she knew he struggled with this stuff, and that was okay because she loved... Him...?

That last part of her thoughts came unexpectedly, uninvited, and it was as if her subconscious was unveiling a secret unknown to her conscious mind. 'When did that happen?' She thought. She couldn't think of a time she had fallen in love with him. It hadn't really been falling at all, more like a steady decent, ever so slowly, like the hour hand on a clock. So slow you can't notice as it's happening, but then it's done, over, and you don't know when or how it happened.

She took a breath and went back to her food as Ralph came in from the other room and took a seat next to her. After handing him his food, she asked, trying to distract herself, "So Ralph, how was school?"

He shrugged, "Fine, I guess. I got in trouble."

Her mind now fully on him, she replied, "What? Ralph, what happened?"

He sighed, "We were supposed to be dividing, but the teacher didn't say the answers were only valid if they were divisible evenly. So I gave decimal answers to some questions. The teacher didn't like that, so she kept me in during lunch."

Her motherly instinct wanted to stomp into the classroom and tell that woman off. It wasn't Ralph's fault he was smarter than his teachers. But she knew that wasn't the way to handle it. "Ralph-" she began, but stopped when she heard Walter chuckle. She turned to him, silently asking what was so funny.

He looked at her, then at Ralph. "I did the same thing when I was your age, Ralph. Don't worry about it, okay?" Ralph nodded as Walter ruffled his hair. His eyes went back to her briefly, and she blinked her silent thanks.

She tried not to let herself use the word 'father' to describe what Walter meant to Ralph, but seeing Walter comfort her son... she couldn't help but allow the thought to enter her mind for a fleeting moment. She always said the team was a family, but Walter was... different. He had a unique connection to Ralph, and she would be forever grateful to him for allowing her son to feel at home and to reach his full potential.

The rest of the dinner was uneventful, and as the team began to disperse and head home, Paige, Walter, and Ralph were left. Ralph was on the couch working out a brain teaser Walter had given him. As Paige finished tidying up her desk, she looked up and saw Walter leaned against his own desk, watching Ralph.

She strolled over and stood beside him, following his eyes to Ralph. "Thanks," she murmured.

Walter glanced at her, "For what?"

She wasn't entirely sure what for. She had just felt it needed to be said. "Just... Everything, I guess."

She looked at him, and detected a vague contented smile on his lips as he continued to observe Ralph. Reaching down, she chanced holding his hand in hers. Her breath caught in her throat when he pulled his hand away, only to realize he was slowly wrapping his arm around her waist and tugging her closer. She exhaled in relief as she relaxed into him and rested her head on his shoulder. He placed a soft, barely-there kiss to the top of her head.

The gesture was all Paige needed to know that Walter had overcome his emotional discomfort from dinner. They both knew the meaning of the unspoken words in his kiss. So they remained silent in each other's warmth, with no need to utter a sound.

It was a new feeling. Before that morning, they had constantly toed the line between friendship and more, occasionally treading over it only to dash back to safety. They had both felt as if there were incessant, looming words left unsaid. But now, they comfortably nestled into each other in silence. It felt timeless, like they had always shared cozy embraces and chaste kisses.

Audibly sighing, Paige regretfully acknowledged, "I should get going. Ralph has school in the morning." Despite her words, she made no move away from Walter.

Walter sensed her reluctance to leave, and offered, "You could spend the night here, if you want."

Paige half-laughed to herself. Had those words come from any other man, their meaning would have been much different. But she knew that was not Walter's intentions. "Ya, that would be nice," she accepted.

"Good," he almost whispered. They remained there for a few more moments, content to watch Ralph busily putting his genius mind to work. Then his face lit up, and he ran over to the pair. "Walter! It's the German. The German man keeps the fish."

Walter smiled, and broke away from Paige to kneel closer to Ralph. "You know, it is often said that the Zebra Puzzle was created by Einstein and only 2% of people can solve it. Neither of those are true, but it's still a fun logic puzzle, don't you think?"

Ralph smiled and nodded his head. Paige cut in, "Ralph, we're gunna stay here for the night, so why don't you go get your overnight bag from the car." Ralph nodded again and headed for the door where the car was parked just outside. As he walked away, Paige turned back to Walter and asked, "So, what's the Zebra puzzle?"

Walter's eyes shifted from Ralph to Paige, and he answered, "Oh, it's just a simple constraint satisfaction problem with five basic variables. Using the fifteen given constraints, plus the constraint presupposed by the..." He trailed off, realizing this was exactly the kind of thing which seemed to repel women during his short-lived dating experiences. But as he searched Paige's eyes, he didn't see confusion or judgement or disdain.

She was only looking at him expectantly, her eyebrows raised as she wondered why he interrupted his own explanation. "Yes?" she said, urging him to go on. But he only narrowed his eyes as he stared at her, contemplating what could possibly make her so different from the rest. "Walter?" she asked again.

He broke eye contact, smiling to himself, and shook his head. Paige was about to question him further but Ralph came in at that moment. "Mom," he called, "Why are we staying here?"

"Because Walter offered, sweetie. Don't you want to stay?"

Ralph nodded, "Ya, I was just wondering why."

"Well, now you know. Go get ready for bed, you have school in the morning."

As Ralph reluctantly went to get ready, Paige turned back to Walter. "So, about the presupposed constraint?"

Walter gave her a look that was a mix of curiosity and admiration before leading her to the couch to continue his explanation. When Ralph announced he was ready for bed, Paige and Walter went to say goodnight to him.

The pair soon returned to the couch, and they talked beyond any concept of time. Walter was rambling on about a development in quantum mechanics when he glanced down and saw that Paige had fallen asleep on his chest. His arm was wrapped around her waist, with his hand resting on her stomach. He didn't want to chance waking her, and admitted he didn't want to move from this position anyway.

Walter grabbed a blanket with his free hand and draped it over both of them. Looking down at her, he thought she looked so peaceful. He brought his hand up to brush her cheek, and before he fully processed what he was doing, he bent his head to lay a gentle kiss on her lips. He then surrendered to sleep, his evolving emotions surfacing as he slipped into unconsciousness.

 **As usual, please review! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**What did you think of tonight's episode? I thought it as wonderful, a good change of pace. Though, as someone who grew up along the San Andreas Fault, I got a chuckle when they didn't cover their heads during the earthquake and instead decided to watch everything fall. But you know... TV. I absolutely adored the opening and closing scenes. And the singing. Oh, the singing.**

 **I will publish the next chapter on Valentine's Day (wink wink), but until then, enjoy this one!**

Paige began to become aware of her surroundings, and realized that between Walter's body and the blanket, she was growing unbearably hot. She opened her eyes and carefully moved Walter's arm that was still wrapped around her to free her own. She then shook off the blanket. Exhaling in relief as the cool air hit her skin, she reached for her phone. _6:00am_. Sighing, she wished she could go back to sleep with Walter, but knew she couldn't if she were going to get Ralph to school on time.

She gazed up at his sleeping face, replaying the previous day. Before yesterday, she would have nervously laughed off the idea of her falling asleep next to Walter and waking up snuggled into him this morning. Their relationship had taken a turn neither had expected so soon, and she thought it felt a bit dizzying. But in a wonderful, butterflies in your stomach, 'why didn't we do this before' way. She took one more second to enjoy feeling his peaceful breathing beneath her before lifting herself away from him, biting back a reluctant grunt.

Looking down, she realized she was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday. She only hoped she could be out of there with Ralph to make a change of clothes on her way back before any of the team arrived. She didn't want them to get the wrong idea. Again.

She headed into the kitchen, putting her messy hair up in a pony tail as she walked. She filled the coffee maker with water and coffee grounds and pressed _Start._ Because she had some extra time, and perhaps because she was feeling a bit elated over the new development in her relationship with Walter, she decided to make pancakes instead of her usual oatmeal and berries. She grabbed her phone, fished out the earphones from her purse, and turned on her morning playlist. She found herself humming as she cooked, and just as she finished her last pancake, she broke into full song.

Walter woke up to the smell of pancakes and Paige's humming. He smiled inwardly at the sound, and stood up to find her. He followed her voice to the kitchen, and as he arrived at the doorway watching her with her back turned to him, she began to sing the lyrics into a spatula and snap her fingers to the beat, "You make me lick my lips. You're favorite flavor, when we kiss. I just wanna savor every drop of it. I can't get get enough, you make me lick my lips, my lips." Walter took in the scene, loving the honey-like sound of her voice, the movement of her hips as she moved to the beat, and how she seemed lost in the music. As she finished, he grinned and clapped his hands.

At the sound of clapping, Paige whipped around and blushed, dropping her hand with the spatula from her mouth, "How long have you been there?"

"Not long," he responded vaguely.

"Did I wake you?"

Walter's smile softened and said, "Ya, but that's alright."

Paige looked at him apologetically anyway and offered, "Pancakes?"

"Sure." He began to walk over to the plate beside the stove, but Paige took a step sideways, putting herself between him and the pancakes.

"But first," Paige began as she lifted her hands to his shoulders. Instead of finishing her sentence, she slowly brought herself closer to him. His heart raced, and he noted that even after yesterday morning, Paige had no less of an unhinging effect on him. It was however, an effect he was beginning to accept. He let out the breath he realized he was holding, then closed the distance between them, hesitantly lifting his hands to her hips as their lips met. This kiss was longer and deeper than the one they shared after talking the previous morning, but didn't have the desperate passion of the first. It felt reminiscent of their experiment, only less awkward and more content. It wasn't so fraught with anxiety, and had the feeling of a tranquil early morning smelling of pancakes. She slid one hand to his neck, and he sighed into her mouth.

"Mom, is that pancakes?" Ralph yelled, causing the two to leap backward. Ralph then appeared in the doorway, still in his pajamas, his face beaming with excitement.

"Ya, sweetie, but why don't you go get dressed first. Then you can have some," Paige replied distractedly.

Ralph looked between the pair, puzzlement appearing on his face as he wondered why they looked so flustered. But he left, knowing he shouldn't argue with his mom.

Paige turned back to Walter and saw he was feeling awkward as he pressed his lips together and stared at the ground.

"Walter..." He looked up at her and she hesitated before continuing, "Um, I think it might be best to not tell Ralph." When he didn't reply, she took a step toward him and explained, "Look, it's just that you've been such a big part of his life, and I don't want to confuse him."

Now Walter looked confused, "I'm sorry, I don't understand. Why would it confuse him?"

"Well, I haven't been with anyone since Drew left. It's a big change for any kid when their parent starts dating-" Her voice failed as she realized her slip-up. They weren't supposed to label their relationship. But to her astonishment, Walter's only reaction was to swallow and take a breath. It was a bit unsettling for him to hear it out loud, but he'd known it. He was smart enough to know that, even though they had not been on a date, for all intents and purposes, they were a couple. She searched his eyes, but he was only looking at her expectantly, waiting for her to go on.

Paige, still taken aback by his near non-reaction, continued hesitantly, "It hasn't been long since he saw Drew. He's been doing so well with friends, I don't want something like this to upset that."

Walter nodded and smiled, replying, "Ya, I think you're right."

Paige returned his smile, "Good."

Walter went to grab a plate and three pancakes for himself, followed by Paige, who poured some coffee for herself. What Paige said made sense, but as he sat down to eat, he couldn't help thinking there was another reason Paige didn't want to tell Ralph about them: if it didn't work out, it could crush Ralph. The thought that one day Paige and him would not be together flustered him, especially because he knew that he was likely to be the one to go wrong and push her seemingly never-ending patience too far. Perhaps she knew that too, and was subconsciously preparing for a breakup. He cursed his thoughts for wandering, and made a resolution to make sure his what-if scenarios didn't come to life.

Paige noticed Walter was distant as he chewed, and she took a breath to ask him what's wrong. But then Ralph walked in, and Walter seemed to snap out of his thoughts. She made a mental note to ask later as Ralph sat down to eat. She asked, "You all ready? Is your bag packed?" Ralph nodded, and with one last glance at Walter, she got up to prepare Ralph's lunch.

She came back a few minutes later carrying Ralph's full lunch box, and said as she hurried in, "You know, Ralph, you should really start making your own lun-" she broke off when she realized no one was there. There were only two empty plates. She rolled her eyes but smiled, knowing they were probably off somewhere in the garage fascinated over something she didn't fully understand. She picked up the plates before searching for them; it was time to take Ralph to school.

She found Walter and Ralph discussing quantum mechanics. She paused, appreciating the scene before passing time forced her to break it up, "Alright Ralph, grab your bag. It's time for school."

Ralph looked crest-fallen as he stood up, and she almost regretted interrupting them. She smiled at Walter and gave him a quick peck on the the lips before Ralph came back in the room with his backpack. "Alright, let's go..." She trailed off when Ralph walked past her to Walter, then gave him a quick hug.

Walter seemed confused but pleasantly surprised as Ralph let go and said, "See you later, Walter."

"Bye, Ralph," he replied. Paige caught his eye and gave a slight smile, as if to say, 'thanks.'

She turned and followed Ralph out the door, leaving Walter to dwell in his thoughts.

Not too long after Paige left with Ralph, Toby strutted in and announced his presence, "Guten Tag! Oooh, do I smell pancakes?"

Walter muttered distractedly as he skimmed over a physics magazine, but his mind still on his contemplations during breakfast that morning, "Ya, Paige made them."

Toby stopped on his way in and raised an eyebrow at Walter. Hearing the cease in Toby's footsteps, Walter looked up to see Toby staring at him. He stared back blankly, confused. Then it dawned on him. He shook his head and rolled his eyes as he stood up, "We fell asleep talking on the couch."

Toby smiled sweetly, "Aww how adorable!"

Walter glared at him briefly before walking to his desk and setting the magazine down. He hesitated before turning around, "Toby?"

"Ya?"

"You know that business dinner I almost took Paige to last year?"

"The so- _not_ -business, very fancy, Valentine's Day dinner, yes. I do."

Walter crossed his arms and glared at Toby again, but didn't argue. There was no point. He cleared his throat, trying to work himself up to what he was getting at, but Toby beat him to it, "Oh, you want to have another go at that, but this time you want my behaviorist expertise so you don't botch it up like you did the other dates."

Walter began to reply, but Toby pretty much covered it, so he just nodded in response.

"Walter, you don't need my help."

Walter snapped his eyes to Toby, frustration and annoyance beginning to bubble up. Seeing Walter frown at him, Toby walked over and gave him an unusually stern look to make sure he had Walter's attention. "Walter, you don't need my help because Paige has already fallen for you. All you need to do is be yourself. You don't need me for that."

Walter's eyes widened, and his mouth fell open. He was already nervous about the prospect of an actual date with Paige, but imagining being completely on his own made his mouth dry. He began to feel something close to terror.

Toby narrowed his eyes, studying Walter, "On second thought, you seem incapable of being yourself when you're panicked. You do need me." Toby then let a sly grin take over his face as he anticipated the romance he could brew up. He paced to his corner of the garage and declared, just as Sly and Happy walked in, "Operation Waige!"

 **Thanks again for all the follows, favorites, and reviews! I look forward to hearing your opinions of this chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for all the reviews! I am officially living my love life through Waige. Enjoy this extra long Valentine's chapter!**

At the end of the next day, Paige guided Ralph out of the garage with her. The earthquake had taken a toll on both of them, and she wanted to get Ralph home early. "Bye, guys."

"Bye," they sang back.

She drove home and put Ralph to bed, then pulled out her favorite book before she fell asleep herself. As she opened it to the marked page, a little red paper fluttered out and onto the ground. She furrowed her brow, wondering what it was. Leaning over to pick it up, she flipped it over from the blank side. It read, 'Be my Valentine?' It had six dots in place of a signature. She was a bit confused by that, but she knew that writing anywhere. It was Walter. A giddy grin spread across her face. Walter, being romantic? Or perhaps this was the only way he could get the courage to ask her on a real date. Either way, it was sweet, and she loved it.

The next morning, Toby and Happy were the first to arrive at the garage. She gave him a half smile, and said, "So, you gunna be on comms during Walter's date on Valentine's?"

Toby smirked. He knew what she was getting at, but also knew she would never admit to being a Valentine's romantic. Even she wasn't sure why she was getting so bothered over it. He replied, "Why, you wanna do something?"

She scoffed, "No, it's a stupid holiday. I don't need a designated day to do stuff I can do any time of the year."

He bit his lip to keep from laughing, then looked her in the eye, "Hey, I said I wasn't gunna mess this up, right? Trust me."

She gave him a long look, then lowered her head to hide the small smile. She didn't know what he meant by that, but she did trust him.

Paige arrived at the garage, set her stuff on her desk, and tried to slip past Happy and Toby to the loft where she guessed Walter was. But of course they noticed, and she didn't miss the knowing look they passed between them on her way upstairs.

Knocking on the doorframe, she said, "Hey, Walter."

Walter looked up from his computer and smiled, "Hey."

"Yes."

"Huh?" Walter replied, confused.

"Yes. I'll be your valentine," she answered with a sly smile.

"Oh," was all he said, before a smile tugged at his lips.

"But, uh, I'm curious. What's with the dots?"

"Oh, it's a tradition in Denmark. They give letters and sign it with the number of dots corresponding with the number of letters in the sender's name. Now I owe you an Easter egg."

Paige's expression turned from understanding to bafflement at his last sentence.

Walter chuckled at her reaction and explained, "The recipient has to guess the identity of the sender, and if she guesses correctly, he owes her an egg for Easter. If not, she owes him an egg."

Paige smiled; there was something so adorable in that.

After a lull, she changed the subject, "Walter?"

"Ya?"

"I uh... I wanted to talk to you. I meant to do it yesterday, but you know, disastrous earthquake and all..." She said with a nervous laugh.

He just looked at her with concern.

Taking a breath, she said, "Well, it's just that I noticed you were sort of... lost at breakfast the other day, after we talked about Ralph. I just, I wanted to ask if there was anything on your mind."

Walter stared at her. He wished he could just not say anything. It would be so much easier. But he knew that if they were going to work he had to do his best to keep open communications. He took a shaky breath and said bluntly, "I think there's another reason you don't want to tell Ralph about us." She shifted her eyes away from his, and that was all the answer he needed. He puffed out a breath. "I knew it." His fear and hurt came out as anger as his voice rose in frequency and volume, "You think I'm gunna mess up."

"No!" Paige exclaimed. She had no idea that's what he thought. She wanted to expel that from his mind, assure him he was not to blame. She quickly walked over to him, "Walter, no," she stated firmly, shaking her head. "That's not what I think."

He looked at her, his mouth pressed in a straight line, "Then what is it."

She sighed, wishing she didn't have to explain this to him. But what did she expect? He was a genius. Of course he'd figure it out sooner or later. She grasped his hand and led him to the couch. When they were settled, she looked sternly into his eyes and said, "Walter, I want to be sure you understand if anything happens between us, it would be because I pushed you too hard-"

"But-"

Paige interrupted Walter's interruption, "Let me finish." When he nodded, she continued, "You are who you are. And that person is wonderful. I did not fall i-" she quickly redirected her words, "for a normal person. I wanted to be at a place in our relationship where... where the risk of pushing you too hard is minimal. The last thing I want is a repeat of Drew-" as soon as the name came out of her mouth, she knew she made a mistake. That wasn't what she meant. At least not how it sounded.

Walter's face again looked hurt, "Drew? Paige I'm not Drew-"

"No, no Walter, I never thought you were. I just meant that if I pushed you away, I wouldn't want Ralph to lose another-" she cut herself off just before she said 'father.' Dammit. Why was this so hard?

"Paige, I wouldn't leave you."

"Walter, I wouldn't-"

"No, you don't understand!" He exclaimed with such conviction that she looked startled. Continuing in a calmer voice, "Paige, us geniuses don't get chances like this." As he went on, his pronunciation became more precise and his voice a bit monotone, as if compensating for the emotion in the meaning of the words. His eyes, however, remained fiery, "It's you, or its nothing. I won't get a second chance."

Paige stared at him, a bit dumbfounded. She let out a puff of air, then ran her hands up his arms to his shoulders to slowly pull him in for a hug.

"Walter?" She whispered in his ear after a few moments.

Walter broke away from their hug, sliding his hands to her shoulders. He looked at her, waiting for her to speak.

The corner of her lips twitched in the vaguest of smiles. "Tell Ralph?"

He gave a half-hearted chuckle, "Day after tomorrow?"

Paige tilted her head, "Why not today?" Slamming her eyes closed, she remembered he was on the kayak trip. "Right. Never mind." When she opened her eyes, she saw Walter looking amusedly at her. "Shut up." He laughed at this; she was usually gentle and soft-spoken, so it was entertaining to hear her get sassy. She rolled her eyes and shoved him, causing him to laugh harder.

She interrupted him, trying to act annoyed, but failing miserably when she couldn't rid her face of her smile, "Okay, so why not tomorrow after he gets back?" He eyed her, then did something he never thought he would do: channel his inner Toby. He gave her a suggestive wink and smirk, then stood up and walked downstairs, leaving Paige more shocked over his exit than the fact she had forgotten tomorrow was Valentine's Day.

—

Walter scanned the restaurant, taking in his surroundings. He had chosen Geoffrey's, a beautiful Malibu-themed restaurant overlooking the beach. Toby spoke in his hear, "Just remember, Walt. You are an abnormal guy on an abnormal date. Just be yourself."

Walter sighed, "Not helping."

When he turned back to the door, his breath abandoned him. Paige was walking in, and she looked stunning. She wore a dark, subdued red dress with a deep v neckline and a strappy back. It fit her snugly down to the hips, where it flowed freely to her mid-thigh. Her hair was curled into beach waves, with strands of hair in front loosely pinned under the back of her hair in a half-up look.

Paige saw him and smiled wide as she made her way to him. She couldn't help but look him up and down, taking note of his great fitting dark blue collared shirt, and appreciating the way his jeans hugged his hips.

"Hi, am I late?"

Walter was still compromised by her appearance. His gaze lingered a little too long, and when his mind caught up, he stuttered, "Oh, uh n-no I was, I was early." She nodded, biting a lip to hide a smile at his reaction to her.

"Slow down there, cowboy," Toby chuckled.

Walter briefly clenched his jaw, ignoring Toby. He handed her a single red rose.

"Oh, thank you, Walter," she responded, suspecting he had some advise handed to him for that one.

He slipped his hand in hers and went to their reservation.

The dinner was going well, until Toby exclaimed, "Drew?!" and almost fell out of his chair.

Walter jumped, "What?"

Paige stopped mid-bite, "Walter?"

Drew nodded his head at Toby and said, "Hey, I've got the weekend off and wanted to visit Ralph. I've been trying Paige's phone all day, but she hasn't responded. I thought I'd look for her here. Do you know where she is?"

Toby stared dumbfounded at Drew. He spoke hastily into his comms, all the while eyeing Drew suspiciously. "Uh, it's nothing Walter, just keep going. You're doing good."

But Walter was thrown off by the exclamation of Drew's name, wondering why in the world Toby would say that, unless Drew had just walked into the garage. Hoping against hope there was another explanation, he turned back to Paige, his eyes wide and his mouth agape.

Toby urged, "Say something you idiot, unless you want her to catch on."

Now Drew looked confused.

Walter tried to say something, but he froze. He looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"Walter?" Paige tried again, "What's wrong?"

Clearing his throat, he shifted in his seat and tried to reply, but all that came out was, "Uh..."

Paige cocked her head, becoming concerned.

"Come on!" Toby groaned.

"Um, n-nothing. I'm fine." Walter gave a fake smile which concealed nothing from Paige.

Paige now knitted her brows, "Walter, I know fine, and that's not it. Now tell me the truth."

"I, uh..." Walter struggled to find words.

"Walter, she's not going to let up until you give her a plausible answer. Now _speak_ ," Toby pushed.

In his panic, Walter began to reply to Toby, but caught himself at the last second. But Paige still detected his near-mistake, and sat up straighter, becoming suspicious. "Walter?" She repeated, a bit firmer this time.

Toby let his head fall into his hands, "We're done."

Walter licked his lips, searching desperately for words.

"Walter, are you..." When he didn't reply, she continued in disbelief, "Are you on comms?"

"N-no?" Walter tried, obviously lying.

Paige raised her eyebrows, daring him to keep lying.

Walter sighed and took out his earpiece, setting it on the table between them.

Paige picked it up and spoke, "Toby, I appreciate the interest, but our personal lives is none of your business." She then dumped it in her water, left money on the table, and grabbed Walter by the hand, "Come on."

"What- Where are we going?"

"I'm going to show you that we don't need anyone's help to have a fun night together."

They got in her car and she took off. He asked again, "Where are we going?"

She narrowed her eyes and gave a noncommittal hum. She hadn't seemed to have chosen a destination yet, but he was in no hurry.

Eventually they came to a stop at a dead end road outside the city. She turned off the engine and began to get out. Walter was now very confused, "Paige, what are we doing here?"

"You'll see," she said with a tantalizing smile.

He got out and began to follow her, but grabbed her arm and stopped her when he realized she was going into the trees. "Uh, Paige, I don't think it's a good idea to go in there at dusk without flashlights."

Paige chuckled, "Walter, the trees are thick, but they're only about 10 feet deep. Plus, there's a trail leading straight through. Also, phone," she added, pulling out her phone and turning on the flashlight. "Come on."

"Straight through to where?" He called after her. When she ignored him, he jogged a few steps to catch up. "Paige, where the hell are we?"

Paige looked up at him, smiling and grabbing his hand, "Walter, relax, will you? A surprise once in a while is good."

As she finished speaking, they emerged from the trees to a wide, grassy clearing on the edge of a large hill overlooking the city. One old oak tree stood near the edge of the drop-off. Some of its large, twisting branches dipped down to just a few feet above the ground. They stood together next to the oak, taking in the sight. He still wasn't sure why she brought him here, but she obviously wasn't going to answer his questions.

Pressing into him as a chill swept the exposed clearing, she spoke softly, "I used to come here sometimes after Drew left. There were times I thought I couldn't do it. I needed to get out of my own life for awhile. I would climb onto that branch," she pointed, and Walter's eyes followed, "and sometimes I would watch the city, other times I would cry my eyes out." Walter held her hand tighter. "I've come much less now that I'm with Scorpion. But I still love this place."

He looked down at her, and saw she was staring fondly out at the city. He kissed the top of her head and tugged her as he stepped toward the tree. "Come on."

She tore her eyes from the view in slight surprise, then smiled back at Walter's kind face. She followed him, climbing the sort distance to the crevice formed between two branching limbs she had pointed to. It created a perfect perching spot, and he settled where she would have normally, facing the city. She then sat along a branch resting her legs over his.

She laid her arm around his shoulders and rested her head on him to watch the last glow of the sun disappear over the city. He looked sideways at her, and reached into a pocket to pull out a black box. Feeling him shift beneath her, she lifted her head slightly before catching a glimpse of the gift. Turning to him fully now, she started, "Walter, you didn't have to..." She trailed off as he just stared at her, waiting for her to take it. She sighed with a slight smile, took it, and opened it.

Inside was a small gold band bracelet. Engraved was a series of ones and zeros. She looked at him curiously, "Binary code?"

"It says, 'In my veins.'"

He saw confusion and recognition pass through her eyes before settling on affection. She slid her hand to the back of his neck before leaning in for a warm kiss. She smiled into him before pulling away, "Thank you."

He gave a smile in return.

They sat in silence for a while more before taking her car back to her apartment. She had wanted to drop him off at his place, but he had insisted on seeing her home and taking a cab back.

He walked her to her door per Toby's advise. Before going inside, Paige turned around to face Walter and say goodnight.

"Well..." Paige began, "I had fun tonight." She didn't know why, but somehow she felt like a teenager.

The corners of Walter's lips turned up in a slight smile of affection, "Me too."

"Um, well, goodnight then," Paige replied, stepping toward him to give him a peck on the lips. But she didn't pull back more than an inch. Walter leaned down for a longer kiss. It started off slow and gentle, but soon deepened until they were locked in a fervent kiss. They pulled each other desperately close. He stepped forward, pressing her into the door. She gasped in surprise. She tugged at the hem of his shirt with her left hand, while her right hand ran through his dark hair. Walter gripped her hip and allowed his other hand to trail down her thigh. She abandoned tugging at his shirt to grab her keys from her small, modest purse and unlock the door, their lips only parting briefly.

He had lost all awareness of his thoughts and surroundings. His constantly calculating mind had been hijacked. He followed her inside, never letting her lips escape him. She kicked the door closed, and they stood in her living room, pressed impossibly close. She slipped her hand beneath his shirt to grasp at the warm, bare skin of his lower back. Her hand began to travel slowly up his back, lifting his shirt slightly.

Feeling this, Walter broke the kiss in a gasp. She looked up at him in confusion, not expecting the rush of cold air on her face when he pulled away. He suddenly realized what was happening as he ran through a mental checklist: They were at Paige's place. Valentines Day. Romantic date. He felt panic rising out of his chest. He couldn't continue in the direction this was going. Staring down at Paige, he was afraid he would see disappointment in her eyes. But there was only understanding.

As she gazed up at him, she saw the panic in his eyes. She instantly knew their night was ending now, but she was okay with that. She gave him a reassuring smile; the last thing she wanted was for their date to end on a sour note. She reached up and brushed his cheek, "Tonight was amazing, Walter." She felt him relax a little, and she gave a wider smile.

He returned the smile, relieved. He became unexpectedly overwhelmed with gratitude, admiration, and affection for her. He wrapped his arms around her and slowly brought her in for a hug. Holding tight onto her as if he might lose her, he kissed her temple. He had no idea the thought had come, but he heard himself breathe, "I love you."

 **Dun dun dunnn... I enjoy hearing your feedback, so don't forget to review! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the long wait! School decided to pile on the work, but I got this chapter done! And I got the covalent bond line from the Science Love Song by ASAP Science. So without further ado...**

She gasped in his ear. Did he just say what she thought he said? She knew she heard right when she realized Walter was no longer embracing her, but rather frozen rigidly.

He fought for breath as he struggled to overcome the fear that had exploded in him at the sound of those words. He couldn't believe he had said that. He hadn't even admitted it to himself, and here he went and said it to her. Suddenly embarrassed on top of terrified, he turned on his heels and rushed for the door.

Paige's feet remained glued to the floor for a second, then she sprang into action, "Walter!" and cut him off at the door.

They stared at each other for what felt like eternity. She had to say something. She couldn't let this date end like this. She searched for something to reassure him.

"Walter... Remember what I said that morning, after the campout? If it gets too much... It still holds true." She grabbed his hand, "It's okay, Walter." She gave him a meaningful look to make sure he understood, then continued, "I just... I want to make sure you know-" she hesitated and licked her lips. How could she explain she felt she same without scaring him? Once she'd gathered her thoughts, she went on, "I'd share my last electron in a covalent bond with you," she finished with a slight blush and bit her lip to hide her smirk. She was trying to speak his language, and simultaneously lighten the mood a bit.

He stared at her for a moment longer, then let out a puff of air and dropped his head. When he looked back up, she was relieved to see most of the tension was gone from his eyes, and the corners of his mouth were turned up in an almost imperceptible smile.

He took a slow step to go past her to the door, but paused at her side. Brushing is hand against hers, he pressed a long, gentle kiss to her temple. Without another word, he slipped past her and out the door.

She stood rooted to the spot for an indeterminable amount of time. She realized she had a silly grin on her face, and was glad no one was here to see her mooning over him like a love struck teenager. She pressed her lips together in an attempt to subdue the giddiness bubbling inside her. But no matter what, she couldn't stop hearing his whispered words in her head on repeat.

As he stepped out into the cool night air, he kept replaying the scene over and over. The whole way home, his mind would not stop analyzing every detail. He felt a river of almost every kind of emotion, and it confused him. When he arrived home, he sat down in a daze.

 _'Did I mean it?'_ he of him wanted to force the answer, 'No,' but he couldn't. The thought was swept into oblivion in the storm of his emotions before it even began to form.

 _'...Yes?'_ he thought, trying it on for size. It made his stomach turn and took his breath away, forcing him to clench his jaw. But... It didn't feel like a lie, unlike 'no.' Taking a deep breath, he whispered, "Yes," trying to sound more confident than he felt. He cleared his throat and said a bit louder, "Yes. Yes, I-" His voice broke off, and he sighed in frustration. _'I love her,'_ he thought slowly, drawing out each word in his head.

He glanced over at her desk, where she had placed a framed photo of her with Ralph. Focusing on her image, he thought again, _'I love you.'_ And in that moment he knew without a doubt it was true. The words tumbled out of his mouth with full force now, "I love you." This time, terror and dread did not overtake him. Rather, he felt a rush of shock, joy, and understanding. He took a deep breath to steady himself, then leaned back in his chair. "Oh, boy." It all felt unreal, and the adrenaline kept him awake most of the night.

The next morning, as Toby walked into the garage, Walter looked up, "Hey, Toby."

"Hey," he replied, anticipating Walter's response:

"So... What was that last night?"

"Drew stopped by."

Walter exhaled in frustration, "I figured that much Toby. What did he want?"

Ignoring the question, Toby asked, "How'd the date go?"

This made Walter nervous. He tried to rationalize that Toby's tight lips didn't necessarily mean anything, but he couldn't get rid of the ball of dread forming in his stomach.

As Paige got ready that morning, she walked to her night stand and picked up the bracelet Walter had given her. She smiled as she ran her thumb over the ones and zeros, replaying the scene in her head. She slipped it on before walking out the door with Ralph.

Paige and Ralph were the last ones to arrive at the garage. She was immediately bombarded by Toby who insisted she speak with him in private. She cast a glance at Walter, wondering if Toby had been grilling him for information about last night and now wanted to try her. But he kept his head down and wouldn't look at her. Concerned, she nodded at Toby, "Alright. Ralph, you've got 20 minutes before we have to leave for school."

When Paige and Toby were out of earshot from the rest of the team, Toby blurted, "Drew stopped by last night."

"What?" Paige replied, furrowing her eyebrows. "Toby, what did he want?"

"Well, he said he wanted to visit Ralph."

Paige narrowed her eyes, "But you think there was something else?"

Toby took a breath, "When I told him where you were, he seemed sort of... Disappointed. And bit angry."

Thoroughly confused, Paige asked, "Ok, what's so wrong about that?"

Toby shook his head, "Paige, not disappointed and angry at missing his son. At missing you. Because you were at dinner. With Walter. On Valentine's Day."

Paige's mouth fell open and her eyes widened in shock, "You think he was jealous? You think he really thought he had a chance with me?"

Toby pressed his lips together and nodded, almost smiling at her implied insult to Drew.

"That bastard." Paige muttered under her breath as she turned away to grab her phone. Walking past Toby, she explained, "I'm going to resolve this right now."

Drew answered after four rings, "Hello?"

Hearing the question in his voice, she responded, "Hi, it's Paige."

"Oh, this isn't your normal number."

"Oh ya, I got a new phone after my old one was broken during the quake." Cutting to the chase, she continued, "Toby told me you were looking for me last night."

"Ya, I'd been trying your phone all weekend. Now I know why," he added with a slight chuckle. She remained silent. Sensing the tension, he cleared his throat and continued hesitantly, "I uh, had the weekend off and wanted to visit Ralph. I also wanted to talk to you about me maybe moving back to LA."

Caught off guard, Paige replied, "What?"

"Well, there's some contract negotiations happening, and there's a possibility the team could be moving to the LA area."

Taking a deep breath, Paige said, "Drew, I am not going to get between you and Ralph. But let me be clear: I have moved on from the past, and I have absolutely no interest in going back. Do you understand?"

Becoming uncomfortable, Drew responded, "O-Oh, I wasn't-"

She cut him off, "I'm sure you weren't" and hung up.

Turning on her heel, she walked back to her desk. She could feel the others' eyes on her, wondering what had gotten her so frustrated. She avoided looking up at them, except for Walter. When their eyes met, everything that happened last night came rushing back, and she felt herself melt. She said shyly, "Hi, Walter."

He looked away and smiled when his eyes landed on her wrist with the bracelet, "Hey."

Paige heard Toby snicker, and immediately plopped down in her desk in embarrassment. ' _God, what happened to me? I'm acting like such an idiot,'_ she thought.

Remembering what her and Walter had planned this morning, she called to Ralph, "Hey, sweetie, come with me and Walter. We want to share some good news." Walter glanced up at her statement and stood up to follow her and Ralph to the loft. The three sat on the couch, and Paige explained, "Ralph, Walter and I have decided to begin dating." She added with a smile, "What do you think of that?"

Ralph smiled and replied, "Duh."

Paige raised her eyebrows in both surprise and motherly scorn. "Excuse me?"

"Well, it was obvious less than one minute ago when you greeted each other." Walter and Paige looked at each other in embarrassment. Ralph shrugged, "It's about time, if you ask me."

Paige laughed at his brazenness and teased, "Well, nobody asked you!" She then dived to tickle his stomach. Ralph yelped and laughed, wriggling to get away. Walter looked on with a smile. _'Yep. I love you.'_

 **I'd love to hear from you, so please leave a review! I also love when people leave suggestions for either this story or others, so please tell me if you have any ideas. I already have an idea of where I'm going with this story, but any suggestions can inspire!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks again for all the reviews! This chapter is super fluffy, but the next one is gunna have more drama/plot. Enjoy!**

When the tickling had ceased, Paige stood up and said, "C'mon, time for school."

Walter took a breath to protest, but decided against it. He had wanted to speak to her about last night, and find out what the deal was with Drew. But he supposed it could wait until she returned. "Go on, get your bag," he said to Ralph as he stood.

They walked downstairs and Paige squeezed his hand before parting ways, "See you later."

"Yep," he nodded.

He waited for her return anxiously. Twice, he thought it had been too long and began to worry before checking the time to find out it had only been 5 minutes. After that, he frequently checked his watch, keeping careful track of the time. Toby called out, "Hey Walt, you got somewhere to be, something to do?" He added under his breath, "Or someone?"

"Huh?" Walter replied, pulled out of his thoughts.

The three other team members just looked at each other amusedly. Walter cleared his throat, aware he had done something embarrassing, right when Paige entered the garage. He leaped out of his chair too quickly and said, "P-Paige?"

"Ya?" She smiled as she turned to face him.

"Can we talk for a sec?" He gestured to the loft and ignored the looks the rest of the team gave them.

"Of course," Paige replied as she followed him up the stairs.

When they reached the loft, Walter stopped, as Paige walked past him and turned around to face him. "Hey, I was wondering if-"

She swallowed her words with a small whimper when Walter smashed his lips to hers. She stepped back from the force of his kiss. It wasn't what he had planned to do, but all of his emotion erupted in that moment. He wrapped his arms around her waist to tug her closer as he mumbled around her lips, "I love you."

She gasped and pulled her lips from his for a split second, then dove forward with the same urgency he had. She fervently grabbed a handful of his hair with one hand and wrapped the other behind his neck to pull his lips tighter to hers.

He pressed her against the side of the couch. She slid back to sit on the arm, so she could wrap her legs around his waist. He pressed his hands on her lower back, pushing her impossibly close to him.

She began to slowly lean back, pulling him with her. He moaned into her mouth just before they heard a cough in the doorway, causing her to freeze and Walter to leap away. The absence of his hands pulling her toward him caused her to fall backward onto the couch, and she quickly swung her legs to a sitting position and stood up. She realized her mid-thigh length skirt was bunched up, and hastily tugged it down.

Cabe stood at the doorway, trying and miserably failing to hide a smirk. "We have a case," he explained before leaving the couple in shock and embarrassment.

Paige cleared her throat as Walter quipped, "We'll have to avoid that in the future."

Paige nodded, "Hmm yep," as she swiftly strode around the couch and toward the stairs. She stopped and turned when she realized he wasn't with her, "You coming?"

Walter concentrated on the floor and awkwardly turned away in embarrassment, "I-I need a m-moment."

Paige's took a breath and pursed her lips, sharing his flustered blush. She cleared her throat and smoothed her hands through her hair to compose herself before heading downstairs, Walter following not long after.

"Alright, now that everyone's here," came Cabe's gravelly voice, "A hacker is sending a virus to military computers. It corrupts files specifically pertaining to the U.S.'s activity in middle eastern countries, past, present, and future. It's your job to find the hacker, disable the virus, and repair as much damage as possible. Got that?"

The team nodded and Walter issued orders as he walked to his laptop. There were small missteps here and there, but the case went smoothly overall, and they had wrapped it up within 5 hours.

It was very rare for a case to go as well as it did, so Paige suggested spending the rest of the day at the beach to celebrate.

Toby and Happy agreed, and Walter stayed silent as Sly protested, "Do you have any idea how much harmful bacteria resides in public beaches? No way."

Walter slid in just before Paige spoke to Sly, "I'm with Sly."

"Do you have any idea how small of a risk you'll actually be taking by going?" She knew Sly knew exactly what percent chance he had of catching an illness from the beach, and it wasn't remotely high.

Toby, still caught on Walter's statement, scoffed, "No, you're just nervous about seeing Paige in a bikini."

Walter's face dropped, and Paige blushed. Toby went back to reading a magazine as if nothing happened, while Sly looked between the three, feeling a bit confused and a lot awkward.

Paige was the first one to break the brief silence. "We're going," she said in a way which did not leave it up for debate.

As Paige walked away to prepare for the beach, Walter glared daggers at Toby. Toby shrugged, "Hey, I thought you like facts. You're not going to say it's not a fact are you?" Walter bit the inside of his lips to control his temper as he turned away to get ready.

As the team reconverged, Paige announced, "I want to pick Ralph up from school on the way." Everyone conceded, and Walter had to clench his jaw on the way out when he saw the straps of Paige's swim suit peeking above her shirt.

They arrived at the beach, and Sly began covering himself in sun screen before he was fully out of the van. Toby ran into the waves, screaming like a raving madman. Paige laughed at him, while Walter shook his head and Happy narrowed her eyes, concealing a smile of amusement.

Ralph sat down to build a sand castle, carving out precise lines and angles. Walter watched him for a few seconds, then sat next to him. "You might want to add some here," he pointed as he explained, "to take full advantage of the structural nature of the sand. It'll keep the castle more stable as you build."

Ralph smiled up at him, "Thanks, Walter," as he took his advise. Walter smiled back and turned to the sea to watch Toby drag Happy into the water. He turned around to ask Paige where Sly went when he saw she was already sans everyday clothing, and was laying out her towel. He snapped his jaw shut and looked back to the ocean. After regathering himself, he asked her, without looking this time, "Do you know where Sly went?"

Paige sat up from where she had laid down, "Ya, he went back to the van to get more hand sanitizer." Walter nodded and began helping Ralph build his castle. After awhile she said, "Walter?"

Without looking up, he replied, "Ya?"

"Come here."

"For what?" He asked, partly confused, partly stalling.

Paige laughed, "Come here, Walter. I wanna talk to you."

When he stood up to walk toward her, she stood as well, and they walked along the waves a few minutes until they were under the shade of a tree. She took his hand, "There's something I never got the chance to say to you earlier." He frowned in confusion before she leaned toward him and murmured in his ear, "I love you."

She pulled back and was immediately captured by the intensity in his eyes. He had known she loved him; he inferred it from the moments before Cabe had interrupted them. It hadn't even occurred to him that she hadn't said it yet. But to actually hear it, in that voice he had come to adore, was enthralling. It briefly sent him into the dizzying state of mind he had experienced the night before. When he came out of it, he let the slightest hint of a smile slip onto his lips and tentatively placed a hand on her bare waist, inhaling sharply at the feel of her soft skin.

She laughed softly at his apparent flustered attempt, "Walter..." She trailed off, about to tell him that she knew how far he had come in just a few days, and he didn't have to feel obligated to push himself. But he shook his head and moved forward, pressing a soft kiss on her lips.

The kiss grounded him a bit, and when he pulled back his eyes roamed without his brain's permission. "You uh," he cleared his throat and his words degraded into a whisper as he spoke, "You look nice."

Paige laughed at the unexpected compliment, "Thanks, Walter." She watched as his eyes continued down the length of her body, and began to giggle at the expanding time. "My eyes are up here, Walter."

He immediately snapped his eyes guiltily back to hers. The guilt subsided to embarrassment when she simply smiled at him knowingly with a mix of affection and amusement. Hitting his shoulder playfully, she said, "C'mon, I think Ralph could use our company."

She took his hand and after one step toward Ralph, she leaned into him and whispered, "Don't worry, I don't think this will be the last time you see me in a bikini." She bit her lip to keep herself from laughing out loud at his facial reaction.

As they reached Ralph, Sly was helping him with the castle. They had made significant progress for the amount of time Paige and Walter had been gone. It was turning relatively extravagant. Walter said to Ralph, "Hey buddy, if you keep this up you'll have a masterpiece by the time we leave."

Ralph smiled up at him as Walter kneeled down to help. Paige left the meticulous building to the geniuses, knowing she would accidentally collapse it if she tried to help. As she laid back down on her towel, she questioned, "Hey, where's Happy and Toby?"

Ralph pointed down the shore, where Toby was excitedly picking up a shell with a bemused Happy watching. Paige smiled at the couple and relaxed onto her back, pulling her sunglasses over her eyes.

She was pulled out of her meditative state by Toby yelling, "Hey, hey guys! Let's play volleyball!"

She sat up and took a look at the progress made on the sandcastle. "Ralph, that's beautiful!"

Toby, nearing them with Happy trailing behind, commented, "Wow, that is nice. All it needs now is this..." He pulled out a shell from a pocket and delicately placed it onto the castle, "Voila!"

"Thanks!" Ralph said before turning to his mom, "but Walter and Sylvester helped, too."

Paige smiled, "Yes, you all did a wonderful job."

Toby clapped his hands, "Alright, volleyball! C'mon," he sung the last word, as if he were urging a group of small children.

Paige looked at Ralph then to Toby, encouraging Ralph to accept. Ralph stood and looked at Toby, "Let's go!"

The team walked to one of the nets, and they split into teams with Paige, Ralph, and Happy on one side and Toby, Sly, and Walter on the other. Up to this point Walter had been stubborn in staying fully clothed, but he had to admit only a few seconds into the game that the hot LA sun was too much. He swiftly pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside as Sly hit the ball to the other side.

Paige had been intent on the ball, but she saw in her peripheral vision Walter taking off his shirt. Her eyes shifted to him, and it occurred to her she had never seen him without a shirt. She bit the inside of her lip as she watched him following the game and squinting his eyes into the sun.

She was brought out of her thoughts by Happy's frustrated voice, "Dineen!"

Paige snapped her eyes to Happy, "What?"

Happy snorted, "Quit daydreaming about your boyfriend so I can beat that loser," she nodded her head at Toby, who opened his arms in mock offense.

Paige blushed in embarrassment and realized she must have lost her team a point while she had been distracted. She opened her mouth to say something, but Toby was already serving. She felt Walter's eyes on her and when she glanced at him, he darted his eyes away.

After 3 games, the sun started to go down, and the team decided it was time to head out. Paige started along the shore back to the castle to gather her belongings, while the rest of the team headed to the van. Walter decided to take the opportunity, and jogged a few steps to catch up with her.

She smiled at him, "Hey."

He smiled back, but his gaze drifted to the sand as he slipped into deliberation. She left him alone for the rest of the walk and while she gathered her things, knowing it was best not to interrupt his thoughts.

Finally, he spoke, "So, what did Drew want?"

Paige looked at him a moment, debating how much to tell him. She was tempted to simply say he wanted to see Ralph, but knew keeping secrets from a genius would probably not turn out well later.

She sighed and explained, "He... He might move back to the LA area." Walter's eyes shifted to above her shoulder and the setting sun. "He wanted to to talk about his relationship with Ralph... And me." Now, Walter snapped his gaze to her, a question in his eyes. She smiled and shook her head, "Walter, I told him he can still see Ralph, but I am done with the past." Walter still looked uncertain, so she took a step toward him, "My future is with Scorpion, and my son, and..." slipping a hand in his and tilting her head, she continued, "Oh, ya. You."

Walter smiled vaguely at her, thinking that the sunset light gave her hair a beautiful, fiery glow. She pecked his cheek, "C'mon, the team is probably waiting for us." And with that, they strolled silently back to the van, barefoot in the sand and listening to the golden waves rhythmically break onto the sodden sand.

 **Remember to review! Love ya**


	8. Chapter 8

The rest of the workweek passed without too much incident. They had two more cases, and they each turned from casual to lethal in a matter of minutes, only for the team to narrowly escape danger and achieve their mission. The usual.

It was now Friday night, and a storm was raging outside. The team had all gone home except for Paige and Ralph, and Walter was upstairs, typing out some codes.

Paige walked in guiding Ralph with her, "Hey, we're gunna go out for ice cream, then have a movie marathon. You wanna join us?"

Walter didn't respond, but rather continued typing on his computer.

Paige sighed and swiftly walked to his desk, "Walter."

Still no response. She paused beside his desk before going behind his chair and placing her hands on his shoulders. She leaned down so her head was level with his and said again, "Walter?"

He gave a noncommittal, distracted hum. He still wasn't listening. She narrowed her eyes as an idea came to her. Pressing her hands more firmly on his shoulders, she slid them further down his chest as she brushed her lips on his ear and whispered, "Walter."

He jumped, "W-What?"

She straightened up and leaned against his desk with a satisfied smile, "Welcome back. Ralph and I are getting ice cream before a movie marathon. You wanna come?"

"Oh," he said, still in a bit of a daze, "Uh, ya, I'd like that." He stood to grab his jacket, and the three headed out.

After ice cream, the three headed back to her apartment, made popcorn, and sat down on the couch for movies. Paige sat between Ralph and Walter, and eventually Ralph had slid down to lay across Paige's lap, with one arm stretched above his head and on Walter. After the third movie ended, Paige twisted to see if Ralph was awake, and smiled when she saw he was asleep.

She looked at Walter and whispered, "He's had a long day." Walter smiled as Paige carefully lifted Ralph and carried him to his bedroom. When she came out, she was stretching her arms, "He's getting too big to carry."

Walter laughed before touching her forearm, "Well, I should go."

Paige's face fell into a frown, "Are you sure? That storm sounds pretty bad. I'm not sure I want you on the road."

Walter, being his stubborn self, insisted, "No, it's not supposed to get bad tonight. I'll be fine."

"Let me check the news first," Paige said, turning on the TV. Three sections of freeway were closed, and they advised against driving unless absolutely necessary. She turned it off and raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to disagree with her now. He rolled his eyes and sighed, causing her to smile, "Good."

He began to walk back to the couch, but Paige said, "No, that old thing is uncomfortable. Sleep in my bed."

Walter scowled, "But where will you sleep?"

Paige laughed, "No, we'll sleep together." Walter froze and Paige's eyes flew wide open, "I didn't mean-"

"I know." They stood in awkward silence for a second, until Paige said, "Well, I'll just..."

She pointed at her bedroom, and Walter nodded, "And... I'll get my overnight stuff from the car."

Walter walked into her bedroom just as she was coming out of her bathroom. There was something endearing about her in sweats and no makeup. It occurred to him he had never been in here, and observed his surroundings, storing the data in his mind. He chewed the inside of his lip when he saw the bracelet he gave her resting on the nightstand.

He jumped when she flipped the lights off, "Oh, did you want those on?"

"No, no it's ok." They slipped under the covers, and Walter lay rigidly on his back. Sensing it, Paige rolled over to rest her arm across his chest and her head on his shoulder. As she had expected, he relaxed into her, and they fell asleep.

The next morning, Walter woke first and went to the kitchen to make coffee and breakfast. He was adding cinnamon to the coffee as Ralph came out, "You're still here?"

"Ya, I got stormed in. What d'you want, oatmeal, eggs, or cereal?"

"French toast?"

Walter chuckled, "That wasn't one of the options. I'm not exactly a great cook like your mom. Either choose from my menu, or wait for your mom and bug her."

Ralph, starving and unsure when his mom would awake, chose cereal.

The two became lost in conversation and didn't notice Paige walk into the room. She leaned against the doorframe, content to not disturb the two for a minute. They did eventually see her, and said in unison, "Good morning." Walter noticed she was already showered and dressed. She must've been up longer than they thought.

She smiled, rolling her eyes at their likeness, and walked further into the kitchen and poured herself coffee. She turned around to face them, "I was thinking you two should go to the California Science Center today."

Ralph's face lit up and looked to Walter for agreement. Walter smiled, "That sounds like fun. Why don't you come too?"

Paige shook her head, "No, you should have a day just the two of you." She looked at Ralph, "Think of it as a genius day."

Walter turned to Ralph, "How does that sound?"

Ralph beamed and nodded. Walter responded, "Ok, I'll just grab a quick shower first, then we'll go." Walter looked back at Paige and returned her smile. He found himself leaning toward her as she bent over the counter to peck his lips.

He left the room, and as Paige made her own breakfast she ensured, "Walter fed you?"

Ralph nodded as the doorbell rang and Paige half jogged to the door to open it. She took in a breath at who was on the other side, "Drew!"

"Hi, hope this isn't a bad time."

Paige inwardly rolled her eyes; if he cared about it being a bad time, the least he would've done is called. "No, uh-" she turned away from the door to Ralph, "Ralph, why don't you go get ready for today?" Ralph suspected she just wanted him out of the room to talk to Drew alone, but did as she said.

She swung the door open wider to allow Drew to step in. She gestured for him to follow her into the kitchen, and continued eating as he spoke, "So, how've you been?"

She glanced at him, "Good-"

She broke off when Walter's voice sounded from her bedroom, growing louder as he walked out, "Paige, where's my tie? I know I took it off last night before we-" He faltered mid sentence when he saw Drew, but hastily finished, "watched the movies."

Drew narrowed his eyes at Walter, and Walter became visibly uncomfortable. Paige jumped in, "We had a movie marathon last night. The storm was unexpectedly bad, and he was forced to stay here."

Drew nodded but said nothing. Walter said a bit too loudly, "Oh, there it is!" and walked to the couch to grab his tie.

Drew's eyes followed Walter for a second, then cleared his throat and said to Paige, "I know it's last minute, but I was wondering if I could take Ralph to the county fair today."

She replied as she carried her bowl to the sink, "Oh, actually Ralph is going to the California Science Museum today with Walter. It's sort of a genius day for the two of them. But you can take him next week." She knew today was more like a father-son day, but she didn't dare say that to Drew, and she still didn't know how Walter felt of that idea.

But Drew startled her with his next words, "I thought you weren't going to get between me and Ralph." She stopped what she was doing, and Walter snapped his head up, no longer pretending not to listen.

After getting over her initial shock, she spoke with a warning in her voice, "I'm not getting between you and Ralph, but I also won't let you get between Ralph and Walter."

Drew didn't know if it was the jealousy, but he didn't seem to be able to filter his words, "But he's not even Ralph's father."

Anger overtook her, and she swallowed, struggling to control it. Leaving once was bad enough, but he proved he hadn't changed much at all when he went to Maine. He had no right talking like that.

She finally spoke, dangerously quiet, "He's not Ralph's _biological_ father _._ But he has been there for Ralph in every way a father should, and every way you weren't."

"Oh, I see, you're sleeping with him because you think you owe him." Drew cursed himself as soon as the words were out, but he couldn't take them back.

Paige's mouth dropped open, and it was Walter's turn to get angry. He stood up and took a few paces toward them but stopped, knowing this was Paige's fight, and she wouldn't appreciate him interfering.

She let out a shaky breath then strode to the door, her heels clicking on the hardwood and the rain draining off the roof the only sounds in the room. She swung the door open and stood staring at Drew, "Get out."

There was a moment of silence in which Drew awkwardly glanced between Paige and Walter. He then took a breath and swiftly walked out the door. Paige closed the door behind him and took a moment before turning around to Walter. In her anger, she had forgotten that Walter was listening. She searched his face, afraid of how he might react to her reference of him as a father figure.

He stared at her, feeling his anger subside to concern for her. He searched for something to say, and settled on something he thought Paige would tell him to say, "Y-you okay?"

She blinked and her features relaxed as she replied, "Ya, Walter, I'm fine."

He nodded, not completely sure she was telling the truth. He helped her in the kitchen now, mulling over what had just happened. He hadn't thought of himself as very father-like, but thinking about his relationship with Ralph, the shoe seemed to fit. What seemed more odd to him was that it didn't seem odd. There was only quiet understanding, like he had only put a name to something he already knew and admitted.

Ralph came in just as they finished the dishes. Walter walked to Ralph, and Paige followed to see them off. But Walter felt it was wrong somehow to leave her alone all day after what happened with Drew, so he offered again, "You should come with us."

"No, you two go, have fun," she smiled.

Ralph had been looking forward to a day with Walter, but he had immediately sensed something between the two when he came in. Since Drew was nowhere to be seen, he suspected it had something to do with Drew, and didn't think his mom should be alone if he was right. "Come with us, Mom."

Paige hesitated but caved, "Alright." She grabbed her purse and followed the two out the door.

As soon as they arrived at the museum, Ralph dashed off to something that must've caught his eye. "Ralph!" Paige called after him. She rolled her eyes before following and said to Walter, "I swear, it's like Disneyland for him." Walter laughed and caught up with Paige and Ralph.

They made their way through the museum, Walter quizzing Ralph on various displays. Paige enjoyed watching the two of them interact, grateful to have someone who could challenge Ralph in ways she couldn't hope to do herself.

The museum suddenly exploded into yelling, "Get down!"

All three whipped around and saw four men in masks, guns in hand, storming through the museum. Paige instinctively dived to protect Ralph. Paige and Walter looked at each other, communicating what they knew; a robbery. Walter whispered, "There must be something valuable." Paige looked back to the men, holding Ralph behind her.

The men turned in their direction, "Down! Get down!" The three slowly lowered to the ground. When the men turned away, Walter reached into his pocket to call the team. After quickly whispering the situation to them, he turned the call to speakerphone and returned his phone to his pocket for them to listen.

"Mom?"

Paige looked at Ralph, "It's ok, Ralph, we'll be ok." Paige looked to Walter, a question in her eyes.

"Scorpion is working on it right now, Ralph," Walter said.

"Scorpion doesn't fail, remember?" Paige tried to reassure her son, but it was difficult when even she could hear the fear in her voice.

"You! Shut up!" Paige nearly jumped out of her skin when one of the men shoved a gun in her face.

Walter and Paige froze, while Ralph held on to his mom tighter.

They remained silent for a while, Walter studying the scene to get an idea of what's going on. "There could be more of them," he muttered half to himself, "these four seem to be waiting for something."

Paige glanced at him, "You think these four are here just to keep the people in this room in check?"

"The real question is, why do it in the middle of the day? Why not wait until after hours, so they don't have to deal with customers?"

"Maybe it's time-sensitive."

Walter hummed in thought just before one of the men rushed at them and grabbed Paige, "What did I tell you?"

Paige gasped as she was torn from her son, Ralph yelling, "Mom!"

Without thinking, Walter stood to protect her, shoving Ralph behind him. He stopped when another man pulled a gun on him.

Paige felt the barrel of the gun digging into her side. Walter saw the pleading in her eyes, and felt a terrible lump in his throat when he realized he was currently helpless. He knew diplomacy wasn't his thing, but it was the only option. Struggling to keep his voice calm, "Hey, you don't want to hurt anyone."

The man's only response was, "Shut up."

Walter tried again, "She has a son-"

He was cut off by Paige's gasp as the man shoved the gun harder into her side. "Do you _want_ me to shoot her?"

Ralph took a fistful of Walter's shirt while Walter remained silent, and a few moments passed before commotion sounded from downstairs.

"What the hell is that?" one of the men asked.

As if to answer his question, a SWAT team stormed the room.

There was yelling, then a single gunshot just as the men were tackled to the ground.

 **I got a bit carried away and already wrote about half of the next chapter, so you shouldn't have to wait too long... Remember to review, and thank you for the support!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you so much for all the feedback! I again got carried away and made this chapter longer than I meant to, so here it is...**

Walter felt his breath abandon him as if he had been punched. His usually rational mind fell into an emotional current that carried him to Paige's side. Toby was already there, checking her pulse.

Walter followed Toby's instructions to slow the bleeding, but all he could think about was her pleading eyes full of fear, the screaming, the gunshot echoing off the walls... He dared a glance at her face and immediately slammed his eyes shut, trying to block out the image of her unconscious face, smeared with blood from Toby's hands.

Sly grabbed Ralph's shoulders and blocked his view as he struggled to follow Walter. Happy bent down to talk Ralph down. Walter heard Cabe yelling, and somehow had the state of mind to comprehend that the SWAT team had acted against Scorpion's directions.

The gurney arrived and carried her into an ambulance, where Walter held her hand and passively listened to Toby order the paramedic.

Walter stayed with her into the hospital until security told him to stop. He watched her get carried down the isle until the doors closed.

He looked down and saw blood smeared along his shirt, hands, and up his forearms. He startled when Cabe put a hand on his shoulder, "Why don't we go to the bathroom, get you washed up."

Without realizing, Walter agreed and found himself in the bathroom, running his hands under the cold water and listening to the stream hit the metal sink and gurgle down the pipe. Cabe stared at him in silence for a few moments then said quietly, "You know she's going to be ok. Toby said so himself."

Walter nodded, not fully processing the situation. Cabe understood Walter's need for time, and didn't press him. They walked back to the waiting room in silence, where the rest of the team, including Ralph, was huddled together in a cluster of seats.

Cabe and Walter joined them, and Ralph hugged Walter's arm. Walter used his other arm to rub Ralph's back before looking down. Ralph's cheeks were stained and eyes were puffy from crying. Walter sighed and closed his eyes, wishing now more than ever to be able to communicate emotionally. He settled on repeating Cabe's words, "She's going to be ok." Ralph's silence told Walter that Ralph knew his words were just as much for his own comfort as Ralph's.

The team waited in silent, solemn anxiety for hours, until a doctor walked out from the corridor, causing the whole team to look up expectantly. "Friends of Paige Dineen?" When they stood and surrounded her, she continued, "She's stable, but not quite out of the woods. She took a bullet to her abdomen. There was significant blood loss, but no damage to crucial organs. She is unconscious due to moderate brain injury, likely from the fall to the ground. It's too early to give a full prognosis, but I'm optimistic in her recovery. You can see her if you like."

They followed the doctor to Paige's room. Ralph ran to his mom's side, and the team gathered around Paige's bed. Except for Walter. He stood at the doorway, suddenly uncertain that he wanted to see her in her condition. Ralph noticed his absence, and walked to Walter, grabbed his hand, and lead Walter to Paige.

He clenched his jaw and swallowed at the sight, and instinctively held her hand which lay at her side. Growing self-conscious as he became aware of the others, he slowly let go, but didn't break contact with her as he said, "She wasn't supposed to be there. But I told her to come-"

Happy interrupted, "Walter, don't."

Walter looked up for the first time with a scowl. His emotional daze was making it difficult to discern her meaning.

Sly elaborated, "There's nothing anybody could've done."

Toby said to everyone, but especially for the benefit of Walter and Ralph, "She'll be fine. The odds are on her side."

At the mention of odds, his familiar, logical mind began to come back, and he calculated her chance of survival. "65%" he muttered.

Sly spoke up, "Actually, 65.7%." Toby was right, but it wasn't nearly high enough for comfort.

Cabe, seeming to know his thoughts, said, "We've beaten much worse odds many times before, kid. This time won't be any different."

They stood awhile in silence, and eventually Scorpion filtered out until it was just Walter and Ralph. Walter thought about having Ralph stay with one of the team members, but thought one night with his mom would be appropriate.

Walter tucked Ralph in on the couch in the room, covering him with one of the hospital blankets. Sitting beside him on the couch, he whispered, "I'll be right there on the chair if you need me, k?"

Ralph nodded, and Walter hesitated with one hand still holding a corner of the blanket. He then brushed some hair away from Ralph's eyes, "You need a haircut."

Walter's attempt at teasing failed when Ralph's face remained stoic. He sighed, kicking himself for the second time that day for not having Paige's seemingly miraculous ability to calm emotional matters. Leaning down, he pressed a soft kiss on Ralph's forehead before standing to make his way to his chair beside Paige's bed.

He took Paige's hand and absently brought it up to his lips. He stared at her face, playing the day out on repeat. He closed his eyes, trying to get a whiff of her familiar scent, but only caught hospital cleaner. For the first time since Megan's death, he felt tears roll down his cheeks.

He snapped his eyes open and hastily wiped the tears. He reminded himself that there was a 65.7% chance of recovery. He told himself that she'll be fine, no need to worry.

With those thoughts on repeat in his mind, he leaned back in the chair and fell into a restless sleep, still holding her hand.

—

As Scorpion stepped out into the cold wind, Toby gently grabbed Happy's wrist and tugged her to a stop on the sidewalk. He waited until the team was out of earshot and said, "Hey, you know how I said to trust me, on Valentine's?"

Happy just looked at him suspiciously and swiped hair out of her face as the wind blew it in every direction.

He cleared his throat and pulled out a diamond ring. It was different; it looked like a silver band had been sliced, each end curving away from the other, and held between them a single diamond.

"What the hell is that?" Happy said loudly, her panic coming out as anger.

Toby chuckled and shook his head. "No, it's a promise ring."

She looked at him with narrowed eyes, unsure at first what to make of this. He continued, "I want to give this to you, to say that, despite how much of an unbearable asshole I can be, I am completely committed to you. Happy, there is nothing I wouldn't do for you."

He searched her eyes, willing her to know how much he meant it. She stared at him with wide eyes, and subconsciously shuffled closer to him, though it didn't go unnoticed by Toby. "I was going to give it to you tomorrow at dinner, but after what's happened..." He glanced at the hospital doors and she looked at the floor, "I didn't want to wait."

He reached into his pocket again and pulled out a silver chain. "I uh, figured you wouldn't want to wear a diamond ring on a finger when working for fear of electrocution, so I've gotten this," he explained as he stringed the ring onto the chain and slid around behind her to put it on.

Still in a surprised stupor, she wordlessly held her hair against the wind so he could secure the chain. As he slid back to her front, she looked down and lifted the ring from her chest to inspect it. He bit his lip waiting for her response. She didn't look up, but rather closed the small space between them and pulled him in for a hug. He immediately reciprocated before she whispered, "Thank you." He simply pressed a long kiss to the top of her head in response.

After a long moment, Happy pulled away and slid her hand from his shoulder to his hand. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

The next morning, Happy and Toby arrived at the hospital first, carrying home-made, non-hospital breakfast. Ralph was already awake, squeezed beside a sleeping Walter on the chair. They gestured for him to follow them out so they could eat and talk without disturbing Walter.

Not long after, Walter awoke disoriented. Memories flooded back to him of the previous day, and he began to bolt upright before a massive headache waved over him. He groaned and slumped back in the chair, slowly opening his eyes and adjusting to the light.

He startled again at the sight of Drew. Walter clenched his jaw and inwardly groaned, thinking this was the last thing he needed. Then he realized; in his confusion yesterday, he had completely forgotten about Drew. "Uhm, I'm sorry I didn't call you-"

"It's fine, Toby called, but I didn't get the message until this morning. How's she doing?"

Walter sighed, "As of last night, she has a 65% chance."

"Right." Drew appeared thoughtful, and they slipped into only slightly uncomfortable silence until, "Hey, I want to apologize for what I said. It was heat of the moment... And it's clear it was false," Drew said with a glance at their still conjoined hands. "Truth is, I always thought you two might have something, but I uh..." He trailed off, his ego not allowing him to admit he was jealous.

Walter sighed and leaned forward, slightly embarrassed at this admission but too tired to care, "I'm not the one you should apologize to." He looked at Paige, and slid his hand from her hand to her wrist. Feeling the cold metal of her bracelet, he glanced down before running his fingers along the engraved binary code.

Drew, seeing Walter slip into memory, began to back out of the room when Happy, Toby, and Ralph returned, Sly and Cabe following. Ralph greeted, "Hi, Drew." And walked past him to squeeze himself into his previous spot next to Walter, "You're awake."

"We brought you breakfast," Happy said, holding up a paper bag.

Walter smiled, "Thanks," though food was the last thing he wanted. He turned to Ralph, "You already eat?"

When Ralph nodded, Drew took a step forward and ruffled Ralph's hair, "Hey, buddy. I haven't seen you in awhile. How you holding up?"

Ralph simply looked at him and shrugged, "Fine."

Walter rubbed Ralph's back before standing and gesturing the team a few steps away from Paige, Ralph, and Drew. "I didn't get a chance to ask - What happened yesterday?"

The team explained that the men were indeed going after an expensive and historic piece of space travel technology on display at the museum. It was a temporary display, on its way to the Smithsonian. It went under extreme security after hours, and once at the Smithsonian, access would be nearly impossible. A mid-day robbery, despite its own challenges, had been their best chance.

Cabe said, "When we got there, SWAT was already outside planning a course of action."

Happy explained, "We told those bastards we had audio for one room and one of our team was at gunpoint."

Toby cut in, "But no, they were taking orders elsewhere and wouldn't listen to a word we said."

Walter nodded with a scowl, deep in thought, "Uh huh, so what happened to the robbers?"

Sly answered, "They were taken out, arrested."

Cabe, understanding Walter's need for retribution, placed a hand on his shoulder, "They're going away for a long time, kid."

Walter nodded and stared at the floor briefly before the doctor entered the room. He snapped his head up and took one step toward her as she fiddled with machines and took notes, "What's her status?"

The doctor smiled understandingly, then spoke to everyone in the room, "She's making progress, and the swelling in her brain has reduced. Assuming she continues like this, I do expect her to make a full recovery." Looking at Walter, she added, "There's no need to worry."

Walter felt slightly comforted as he gave a single nod at the doctor, "Thank you."

Walter took a pace toward Ralph, but paused when he saw Drew had taken up the seat next to Ralph, trying to engage him in conversation. But Ralph was nearly unresponsive, and kept casting glances at his mom. When he saw Walter, he turned to him and asked, "Is she gunna be ok?"

Drew answered for him, "She's going to be fine, Ralph."

But Walter, knowing Ralph needed more detail than that, repeated the doctor's words. When he finished he said, "You're mom is healthy and strong. She'll be ok."

Walter saw that Ralph was still worried, and Walter shared the sentiment. He decided they should both do something to get their minds off it for awhile. After a pause, Walter suggested, "Ralph, how about I grab my laptop from the garage and I teach you some more coding?"

Ralph gave a slight smile and nodded. Walter smiled back and said to Drew, "Ok, you got him while I'm gone?"

Drew nodded, but Ralph said, "No, I wanna go with you."

Walter, reluctant himself to leave Paige's side even for this brief trip, asked in surprise, "You sure?"

Ralph nodded, and they headed to the garage.

In the car, after some silence, Ralph turned to Walter and asked, "Why is Drew back? Is he staying?"

Walter clenched his jaw, wanting to give his honest opinion of Drew, but knew that would be inappropriate. So he settled for, "I don't know bud, you'll have to ask Drew."

They entered the garage and Walter swiftly grabbed his computer and began to walk out. He stopped when he realized Ralph wasn't with him, "Ralph?"

Walter searched the garage and quickly found Ralph, his hands on his mom's chair where she had hung a jacket. Walter walked up behind him, "Alright, I've got my laptop, let's-" He broke off when Ralph turned around, his eyes glassy with threatening tears.

"What if she doesn't wake up?" Walter froze as he felt a lump in the back of his throat. Then he hastily knelt down and pulled Ralph in for a hug, "That's not going to happen, Ralph. I won't let that happen."

Walter squeezed his eyes shut as he realized where he recognized those words. They had come from his own mouth, before Megan... ' _No, Paige's chances are much greater than Megan's were. It won't happen again,'_ he told himself.

Ralph let slip a small whimper into Walter's shoulder. Walter hugged him closer, feeling helpless and unsure what to do.

 **I'm having so much fun with this story, especially since the writers keep torchuring us like this...**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry for the delay, I had some trouble writing this chapter. I sort of wrote it in pieces, so let me know if anything is weird or doesn't make sense. But this chapter is also longer than I originally planned, so maybe that'll make up for the long wait?**

 **Thanks for all the support, and I want to thank Serena, a reviewer who gave me some ideas which helped in the writing of this chapter!**

Later that day, the two had reassumed their seat next to Paige, typing out codes, although neither one was quite so engrossed in it as they usually did. Eventually the conversation moved to the scientific aspect of Paige's medical condition, with Walter answering Ralph's questions.

Drew walked in and listened to the tail end of the conversation. He cut in when Walter paused, "Walter, can I speak to you?"

Uncertain, Walter replied, "Uh... Sure." He got up and followed Drew to the other side of the room.

Drew whispered, too low for Ralph to hear, "Are you sure it's wise to involve Ralph in all the details? He already has to deal with the dangers of your job, let him be just a normal kid for once."

Walter, swallowing his impatience, looked up and whispered slowly, "With all due respect," he spat out the word respect, indicating he had little for Drew, "Ralph is not a normal kid. He never has, never will be. And the sooner you accept that the better. I know how his mind works better than anyone. It helps him to process this situation in terms of science."

Drew took a breath and raised his voice slightly, "You think you know better, but you only recently came into Ralph's life. You weren't the one who changed diapers, did midnight feedings-"

Walter's anger spilled over as he took a step forward, balled his fists, and raised his voice over Drew's, "Or left them. I was the one who gave Ralph a home, a place to reach his full potential, something that could have never happened without Scorpion. You made that decision, but I would never leave them." Realizing he was yelling and that Ralph could hear them, even if he was still typing on the computer, Walter looked at the floor and breathed to calm himself. He was surprised at the emotion even he could hear in his own voice, and when he glanced briefly at Drew, he could tell Drew was taken aback.

Drew puffed and left the room, so Walter just stood there, watching Ralph next to Paige. Eventually Ralph looked up, "What did he say?"

Pulled out of his thoughts, Walter responded, "Uh, well he wanted to talk about how to best handle your mom's situation."

"No, I mean what did he say?"

Walter, now understanding that Ralph wanted to know what had made Walter angry, sighed, "Ralph, I think the stress of all this is setting our tempers on edge. I'm sorry."

Ralph shrugged and looked back at the computer, "You don't need to apologize."

Walter looked at him confused, "Oh?"

Ralph looked back up and stated matter of factly, "You don't get angry easily. The probability is high that you were justified."

"Oh," was all Walter said, as he turned that over in his head.

After a few minutes, Ralph looked at the food from that morning still sitting on the counter. He put the laptop aside, grabbed the food, and brought it to Walter, "You should eat."

When Walter hesitated, Ralph continued, "Not eating won't help her, and you need food."

Walter half heartedly chuckled to himself as he sat down with the food, thinking Ralph sounded more adult than himself. Ralph sat with him and said, "You love her, don't you?"

Walter stopped mid-bite, surprised and unsure where that thought came from. But he gave a half smile and nodded thoughtfully.

That put a smile on Ralph's face as he got up to continue coding.

Later that night, Walter, Sly, and Ralph were standing in the room, encouraging Ralph to go with Sly for the night.

"You need your sleep, Ralph. Like when you said I need food, remember?"

"But I can sleep on the couch again."

Walter kneeled down, "Ralph, I understand you want to stay here, I really do. But you can't sleep well here."

"But you're sleeping here, so why can't I?"

Walter glanced up at Sly, knowing Ralph had caught him. Before he could reply, they heard a voice at the doorway, "Actually he'll be staying with me."

All three turned to see Drew standing just inside the room. Ralph looked back to Walter, silently begging him. Walter glared up at Drew but spoke calmly, "No, we've already decided he's going with Sylvester."

"Well, I'm his father, so he's coming with me." Drew made a move toward Ralph, but Walter jumped up and cut him off. Walter, who was once again struggling to control his anger, balled his fists and decided to ignore the father comment. He settled on replying with quiet conviction, a warning in his voice, "He's going with Sylvester."

Sly looked between the two men, the tension threatening to boil over. Trying to calm the situation, he tentatively said, "Walter..."

But Walter ignored him as he continued to glare at Drew, daring him to argue. Drew looked at Walter with contempt before holding out his hand, "Ralph, come here."

Walter barely restrained himself from throwing a fist, but was immediately grounded a bit when Ralph didn't grab Drew's hand, but rather Walter's shirt.

But when Drew said more sternly, "Ralph," and placed a hand on Ralph's arm to lead him away, Walter lost his cool and shoved Drew away.

As he did, he said forcefully but without volume, "It takes more than fathering to be a father."

Drew stared at Walter with a mix of disbelief and anger. Then Walter felt a burst of pain as Drew's fist met his face, and his instincts took over, fighting back. But Sly was holding him back, and he quickly settled as a nurse came in to see what all the commotion was about. Drew stormed out, and the nurse looked Walter over. "I'm fine, really."

"I know, but I'll get you some ice."

The three stood in silence, mulling over what just happened, until the nurse came back in with the ice and left.

Sylvester, wanting to talk about what happened, began, "Walter,"

"I know, I probably deserved it," he said with a half chuckle. He knew that whenever he angered someone, he usually deserved it.

Sly said immediately, "No, you didn't."

Walter looked at him in surprise, and when he glanced at Ralph, Ralph smiled as if to agree. After a moment, he sighed, "Well, you two better get going."

Ralph didn't argue this time as he followed Sly out the door.

Walter sighed as he looked miserably at Paige's unconscious face. He slowly lowered the ice and set it down, running a hand across her cheek, and holding her hand with his other.

Before he thought about what he was doing, he leaned down to gently press a kiss to her lips. A pang of grief hit him when he felt how limp her lips her, and longed for her to kiss him back.

He lowered his head to rest his forehead on her shoulder and closed his eyes, listening to her breathing, reassuring himself that she's still here, and it shouldn't be long until she does kiss him back. Taking a deep breath, he lifted his head and brought their hands up under his chin, holding her arm to his chest. He breathed, "Please wake up soon, Paige." And with that, he sat down on the chair and fell into another restless night of sleep.

When he woke up, his head was pounding and his mouth was dry. He checked the clock and saw it was 3am. Sighing, he closed his eyes to try to go back to sleep.

But then he felt a movement in his hands, and his eyes flew open as he realized the reason he woke. He still held Paige's hand, and her fingers were shifting in his.

He leaped up and leaned over her, "Paige?"

She opened her eyes slightly, making Walter laugh, "Paige, hey, hi," as he kissed her hand.

Paige smiled back at him and croaked, "Walter."

He brushed his hand on her cheek, "Sshh, don't try to talk."

She reached up and touched his bruised cheek, a question on her face. "Oh, that's uh, that's nothing to worry about."

A look of panic passed through her eyes as memories came back to her, "Ralph?"

"He's fine, he's fine. He's staying with Sylvester tonight."

She relaxed and smiled again as Walter said, "Paige, I'm just so glad you're awake." He then leaned down and kissed her hesitantly, not wanting to hurt her. Even though it was not the kiss he longed for, he felt his nose sting at the feeling of her kissing back weakly. He pulled away and looked at her, his vision blurred, "Go back to sleep. You need to rest."

She closed her eyes with a smile still on her lips. Walter sat back down, relief flooding his body.

Around mid morning that day, Paige woke again, feeling less fuzzy than before, but still fatigued, probably from the pain killers. Her body felt limp, and talking was more of an effort than it should be.

She looked around the room, and saw it was now empty. She tried to sit up, but immediately collapsed when hot pain radiated from her stomach throughout her body. She slammed her eyes shut and hissed at the pain.

"Hey, don't move."

She opened her eyes to see Walter walking in, a plate of food in his hands. She smiled at him, "You're still here."

Without skipping a beat, he replied, "Of course. Ralph is on his way. I expect he'll be happy to see you." After a pause, he asked, "Do you feel up to eating?"

Her mouth was dry, making it difficult to swallow, and the pain still in her stomach made the thought of eating sickening. She shook her head, "But could I have some water?"

Walter nodded and handed her his water bottle. He stared at her as she drank, screwed the cap back on, and placed it on the table beside her. She looked at him and half laughed, "What?"

"You scared me, is all."

She tilted her head and placed her hand over his, then pointed to her own cheek in the spot Walter's bruise appeared, opening her mouth to speak when she heard from the doorway, "Mom!"

Ralph hurried across the room with Sly, Happy, and Toby following, and carefully hugged her around the shoulders. "Hey, sweetie. How are you?"

"I'm ok now."

She ran her hand through his hair before turning to the others with a smile, "Catch me up. What's been happening?" After awhile of engaging in conversation, she looked back to Walter. "Hey, you still haven't told me what happened," as she gently touched his chin to turn his head so she could get a better look.

"Oh, that's uh..." He trailed off, reluctant to tell her what happened. He hadn't meant to get involved with Ralph and Drew's relationship, and he was afraid she would be mad at him for overstepping.

Ralph chimed in after several seconds, "He got in a fight with Drew."

Paige's mouth dropped open a bit and her eyebrows raised at Walter, and Happy and Toby turned to stare at him too. It wasn't like Walter to get into fist fights.

"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have... I was the one who made it physical-"

Ralph turned to him and cut him off, "No you weren't."

Walter, confused, was about to point out he had shoved first, when Sly said, "Well, he did try to grab Ralph, so..."

Paige looked quickly between the three, "What? Tell me what happened."

Toby walked further into the room, Happy following, "This sounds interesting."

After explaining what happened, Walter ended with, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gotten involved like that..."

Paige smiled at him, "No, Walter, you were already involved." Taking breath she continued, "I've been looking into new arrangements for Ralph..." She trailed off, seeming to think better of revealing this to everyone at once. She inwardly kicked herself for saying that much already. 'Must be the drugs,' she thought. She looked around the room, "I-I'm sorry, could you give us a minute?" she asked, curling her fingers around Walter's.

Once the rest of the team had filed out, she looked at Walter and hesitated. He searched her eyes, confused and a bit nervous, unsure what direction this was going.

"Ok, Walter... This is a cursory and primitive idea, so don't feel the need to give me an answer." She paused to let that sink in before continuing, "You know our job is very dangerous. There's always the possibility that one of us could-" She stopped when she saw Walter readying himself to argue with that premise, so she warned, "Walter," and squeezed his hand. "I've been considering different options, in case... In case something happened to me."

At the thought of losing Paige, Walter felt the desperation which had plagued him these past couple days boil up again. It was still an uncomfortable feeling, knowing Paige had such a tremendous effect on him. But he was learning to embrace that awkwardness, and he couldn't deny that the time he spent with her was worth it. Still, his defenses disallowed him from accepting Paige's premise.

He barely restrained himself from arguing that he wouldn't let anything happen as she took a fortifying breath and continued, "Walter, I'm thinking that the best place for Ralph in my absence might be with you." She searched his eyes, and when he didn't seem to have a reaction, she looked down, cleared her throat, and continued, "Drew must've found out and..." She trailed off, implying that the fight was the result.

Walter impulsively responded, "That won't happen."

Paige gave him a questioning look, unsure what he meant.

"You won't be absent. That won't happen."

Paige shook her head, "Walter, we both know the risks." After a moment she continued, "Like I said, you don't have to give me an answer now. If... If anything ever happened to me-"

"Raise him. You'd want me to raise him," Walter interrupted, wide-eyed and just realizing what she was asking. He stared at her for several long moments, trying to grasp everything it meant. She waited patiently for him to process it.

He had only recently come to the realization that he was a father figure to Ralph. But being a father figure was different from being a father. Very different. He had never had any interest in having children all his life. Then again, he would have never pictured himself in a relationship like this one before Paige, yet here he was. He stuttered, "I-I umm..."

Paige said softly, "It's ok, take your time. No need to come to any conclusion at the moment." Adding with a playful smile, "It's not like I'll be in any dangerous situations any time soon." Her smile faded when Walter didn't react. "Walter?"

He was still deep in thought. It occurred to him that, while he could provide educational stimulation, he could never help Ralph in areas even he still needed coaching: emotions. How could Ralph ever develop that side of himself without Paige? At the thought of Ralph without Paige, he suddenly couldn't imagine Ralph anywhere but with Walter. Any other option seemed miserable, both for Ralph and for himself. His mouth moved before his brain gave permission, and he blurted a little too loudly, "Yes."

Paige's eyes widened in surprised. "W-What?"

Walter just nodded and repeated, too overcome to do much else, "Yes."

"A-Are you sure? I mean, I just told you... I-I was expecting you'd need more time to think about it."

Walter shook his head, "Yes. I don't need to think about it more. I'm sure."

Paige, hearing the resolution in his voice, let out a puff of air in admiration and reached up to hug him. He leaned forward, hugging her shoulders. She whispered hoarsely in his ear, "Thank you."

 **Hope you enjoyed!**


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